I see you
by smylealong
Summary: For him it was love at first sight. The problem, he was in love with a woman only he could see. There were many questions Ulquiorra needed answers to before he went mad. AU. Warning: rated M because contents might disturb some readers. OOCness involved.
1. when I first saw you

And so, here is my new story. Yet another Ulquihime. I don't think I will ever have enough of these two. Another AU. The story came to me today, while driving home. I had the first chapter ready in my mind before I even reached home. It was just a matter of typing it down. I'll be continuing this alongside "If I could fly...".

A heads up for my readers, Ulquiorra will seem slightly OOC in the first few chapters. This story requires him to be a little more socially acceptable (in the beginning at least) than his normal self. He'll be the Ulquiorra we all know, soon enough. So hang on.

Also, this is a horror. I am a horror purist, brought up on Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Guy De Maupassant and Stephen King (his older work). This work may reflect a bit of their works and can be repulsive for some of you. Forewarning everyone, if this isn't to your taste, do not read further.

The title of the first chapter is inspired by Taylor Swift's Love Story.

Read and Review :-)

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**...when I first saw you**

_Trrriiiinnnngggg!_

The young black haired man groaned and buried his face in the pillow in a futile attempt to cut out the annoying noise. The alarm clock however, continued undeterred.

"Shut up." He muffled through the pillow as he blindly groped the clock trying to switch it off. When it didn't work, he threw it against the wall. That shut it up, perhaps for good, but he didn't care. He was just glad that he would now be able to sleep for a while more.

"Wake up, asshole!"

Ulquiorra groaned again. He sat up groggily, looked at his orange haired roommate and asked

"Remind me, why do I live with you all, again?"

"Cause we are the only ones who'll put up with your drama." Ichigo replied without even bothering to look at his roommate. "Anyhow, your girlfriend is outside, waiting for you."

_Excellent!_ He thought sarcastically. _Just what the doctor ordered. _

"You don't look too happy."

"Neither would you," Ulquiorra muttered "if your self proclaimed girlfriend shows up on your doorstep unannounced."

"Wham, bam, thank you mam. That's what I'd do, if I were you." His second roommate offered as he sauntered in casually.

"I have no doubts, Nnoitra." Ulquiorra said as he pulled up a pair of jeans over his boxers.

"Seriously dude, why aren't you banging that broad when she's practically throwing herself at you?" Nnoitra asked launching himself on Ulquiorra's bed.

"Because I am not you. And get off my bed." He said feeling annoyed, knowing full well that the sentence would fall on deaf ears.

He walked out to the living room to find Grimmjow, his final roommate, Loly, his self proclaimed girlfriend and Melony, Loly's friend, sitting on the mismatched chairs, each steadfastly ignoring the other. It was known to everyone that Melony had a huge crush on Grimmjow who gave a rat's backside about it. Ulquiorra had once tried to tell Grimmjow to make himself scarce when Melony was around to which he had replied,

"Why should I hide in my own house? She knows who all live here. So if she has a problem with me, she shouldn't be coming to the house."

Since then, Grimmjow made it a point to stay in front of Melony for as long as she was in the house, making the poor girl even more uncomfortable.

"Ulqui!" Loly screamed, ran up to him and hugged him tightly, knocking the breath out of him.

"Loly!" He said with strain in his voice as he loosened her vice like grip, "You are suffocating me."

"Oh I am sorry, Ulqui."

Grimmjow grinned evilly behind her back and mouthed '_Ulqui?'_

Ulquiorra's stare promised him a painful death.

"Loly, my name is Ulquiorra." He said patiently.

"Oh but everybody calls you that!" She said with a pout.

"Because it's my name, Loly." He was beginning to get really tired of this girl but knew of no polite way to make her go away.

Actually he blamed himself for his current predicament. Ulquiorra was the sole heir to a massive chain of restaurants that his grandfather ran. His parents died when he was very young and his grandfather had done everything to ensure that Ulquiorra led a comfortable life. However, the young man was not easy to please. He was highly intelligent, in fact a genius. His grandfather's pampering, his own superior intelligence and the family name of Schiffer gave him a very lonely childhood, with some deep seated personality problems and a complete social ineptitude. In his late teens he had come into contact with Ichigo and through him Nnoitra and Grimmjow. All though no where near him in intelligence, these three were the first (and so far the only) people to have accepted and liked him the way he was. They didn't try to change him, weren't overawed by who he was, didn't ask anything of him (except that he paid his part of the rent and do his part of the chores). They gave him the normalcy he craved for all his life, so when in a drunken stupor Grimmjow had proposed that Ulquiorra move in with them in their flat, he was more than willing to comply.

Life had been good from then on. He took up a part time job at a bookstore, the owner of which was an old man who never even looked up from his books. He had no idea who the industrious young man was, all he knew that he had always needed an assistant who would let him be and more or less manage the book store on his own and that this green eyed man matched the requirements perfectly. To Ulquiorra, after helping his grandfather in the business, managing the bookstore was a piece of cake. The job wasn't high paying, but he wasn't doing it for money. He received large enough pocket money from his grandfather that if he wished, he could pool three months of his pocket money and buy out this book store and still have money left with him. He was doing it to prove to himself that he could do something on his own, without using his last name as a calling card. He had initially been skeptical as to how his grandfather would react to the news, but the old man had been pleased as a punch. He was a self made man and he was proud that his grandson wanted to experience life first hand.

A little over a year ago, he met Loly at Rukia's party. Rukia Kuchiki, Ichigo's on again off again girlfriend. Ulquiorra had long since given up trying to figure out the dynamics between those two. All he knew was he was invited to the party and had found himself in the company of a girl he found mildly attractive. By the end of the party, they had exchanged numbers. Ulquiorra never intended to call her, but she called him, the very next day and asked him out for coffee. His upbringing had taught him to respect women and not hurt them, so he had unwillingly agreed. Since then, Loly had been an almost permanent fixture in his life, one he didn't want. Loly had even gone so far as to tell people that he was her boyfriend, much to Ulquiorra's annoyance, but he kept quiet. He didn't dislike Loly, allowed her the occasional hugs and had even kissed her a couple of times. But he knew their relationship, if it could be called that, was past it's expiration date.

"Coffee anyone?" he asked, extricating himself from her.

Every occupant of the flat answered in positive. He walked over to the kitchen and Loly followed him.

"You know what," She said, hoisting herself on the counter, her skirt hitching up a notch higher, "we are having a party. Day after tomorrow. I am going to do some shopping today, you'll be coming with me, right?"

Ulquiorra made a non-committal noise that could be construed as a yes or no, ignoring the suggestive way Loly crossed her legs. Nnoitra was right, she was throwing herself at him. Has been doing so for almost as long as he had known her. Sometimes he wondered if he should have sex with her, just to stop her from throwing herself at him, but he knew he couldn't do that. The girl was clearly smitten by him and he would never use her, not that way. Although currently, he wasn't feeling all that charitable. He had never been a morning person, but off late, he had been having troubles with his sleep. He hadn't confided in anyone yet, but a recurring dream had been troubling him.

It was always the same dream. He would find himself standing in a street full of people. Initially it would be as noisy as is to be expected from a busy street of a bustling metropolis. All of a sudden, the sounds would die. Everyone around him would go on as if nothing had happened. He would try and call out, but his voice wouldn't cooperate. Soon after, a kind of haze would fall all around, blocking out everyone and enveloping him in a yellowish dome. Then from no where a voice would call out. Ulquiorra could never hear properly what the voice said, but he knew it belonged to a woman and that she was calling out to him. A hand would reach out to him from somewhere in the dome. But whenever he tried to grasp it, it would fade away, as if it was dissolving in ashes. This was where Ulquiorra would wake up.

Every time he had found himself drenched in sweat, his had extended to reach out to whoever it was who was calling him. He had no idea why the dream disturbed him greatly. He found it very difficult to fall back to sleep after the dream woke him up and would often find himself staring at sunrise. Now he almost always had a headache, was always tired and his hold on his temper was fragile. He didn't think spending the Saturday with Loly was the best idea given his current health. All he wanted to do was toss the black haired girl and her friend out of the house and curl back into his bed and sleep till hunger woke him up. But he knew that was out of the question. He knew whatever his inner thoughts be, he would probably end up going out with Loly. He guessed it was partly because he felt guilty for not being able to return her affections, but he knew he was incapable of it.

Having finished his cup of coffee, he asked Loly to wait while he changed. He showered quickly, dressed, gobbled a couple of breads and a pill for his headache. An action that didn't go unnoticed by Ichigo, who was sprawling on his own bed, being lazy.

"You have been popping those pills a lot off late." Ichigo said offhandedly, but Ulquiorra could hear the trace of worry in his voice.

"It's this damn headache. It just won't go."

"You should talk to my dad about it." Ichigo said seriously. Isshin Kurosaki was a doctor, so Ulquiorra knew that Ichigo had to be really worried to suggest that. Normally he liked to stay as far away from his father as possible.

"Thanks. I'll think about it."

"You do that."

To add to the general unpleasantness of Ulquiorra's mood, midway through the shopping trip, it started pouring. Cursing himself for not checking on the weather, he and Loly ran for the nearest shelter, which was a bus stop. It being a Saturday and the weather being what it was, very few people were out and about. Loly spent sometime fussing about her wet clothes, which he ignored. Soon enough, her phone rang and she was busy talking animatedly to someone. It was then that he saw her.

On the pavement on the opposite side of the road, she stood. Arms wide open, face upturned, eyes closed and a beautiful smile on her face. She was wearing a simple white gown, that covered every inch of her body except her palms, her neck and her face. And yet, she had an understated sensuality about herself. Her long flowing fiery hair was gathered on one side of her neck. She was enjoying the rain, welcoming it. The occasional pedestrian, in their hurry to get out of the downpour, paid no attention to her. But Ulquiorra was enchanted. To him she was a divine being. The most beautiful creature he had ever seen in the Twenty four years of his life. As if sensing his eyes on her she turned her face to look at him. He knew he probably should lower his eyes, but he was already under her spell. He couldn't even blink, let alone look away. She looked back at him, unblinking, for a few moments, then smiled.

Ulquiorra Schiffer, the ever cynical man, who had never believed in love, who had always thought of love as a minor distraction and possibly a myth, a man who never understood why or how someone could be sure 'he/she is the one', fell for it. For him, it was love at first sight.


	2. Enter Pantera

I won't say anything about this chapter, except that I am introducing a very important character. Enjoy

R & R

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Enter Pantera**

Ulquiorra never imagined that a single glance from an absolute stranger would do this to him. He forgot everything about himself. All he knew was he had to get to the girl standing at the opposite side of the street, looking at him in a way that drove him wild. He dropped the shopping bags he was holding and walked out in the rain. The girl on the other side cocked her head slightly and watched him with mild curiosity on her face. She stood there, as if waiting for him to cross the road. He paid no attention whatsoever to the road as he broke into a run, only to be startled to a complete stop by the loud honk of a car.

The honk jolted him to his senses. A man got his head out of the car and started yelling at him, asking him why he chose his car to die and go jump off of somewhere if he wanted to die. Ulquiorra stammered a quick apology and looked back up, but the woman was gone. There was no one in the opposite pavement, save a man and his child, standing under the shade to avoid the rain. Ulquiorra stood rooted in the middle of the road, causing a mini traffic jam, but he was completely unaware of the situation he was causing. He felt someone grab his arm roughly and drag him out of the scene.

"What is wrong with you?" Loly demanded.

He looked up at her, vaguely aware that she was talking to him, but it didn't sink in. He felt like he was watching her from underwater. Suddenly everything was peaceful, everything was quiet. All that was left was a bright white light in which he saw a silhouette of a woman with bright ginger hair before everything went blank.

* * *

><p>Incessant beeping of some sort permeated through his consciousness before a bright light made it's way through, blinding him temporarily. He blinked a few times to clear his vision and he realized he was in some kind of a room. Looking around he realized he was in the hospital. He was very thirsty so he tried to get up, but his limbs felt like lead. He called out for water.<p>

"He's awake." Someone said. Someone tall, black haired, bespectacled. Uryuu Ishida.

"Hey." He croaked.

"What kind of a stunt was that?" Grimmjow asked, half worried and half annoyed.

"What?"

"You walked out to the middle of the of the road, got almost hit by a car, stood there like a statue and when Loly finally dragged you to the side, you passed out. Mind telling us what happened?"

"I did that? I don't remember." Ulquiorra was confused. All he remembered was walking out to meet the woman when something distracted him and when he looked up, she was gone. He didn't remember anything else.

"What do you mean you don't remember?" Nnoitra yelled, causing Ulquiorra to cringe.

"Nnoitra, it's alright!" Ishida intervened. "The guy's just had a shock. It's natural for the brain to tune out information."

Nnoitra opened his mouth to object, but Ichigo intervened "It's alright. He's just had a rough day, cut the guy some slack."

"I'll ask the doctors when we can take him home." Grimmjow muttered. Ishida walked out along with him.

Sometime later, after the doctor had ruled that it was mere fatigue that made him pass out, all of them were in Ishida's car, headed to the flat. Uryuu Ishida, the only other person besides these three whose presence didn't annoy Ulquiorra. In many ways, Ishida was like him. He too came from a filthy rich family, he too lost his mother at a young age and had a very tense relationship with his father. He too had been under his grandfather's care, till the old man had passed away. And like Ulquiorra, he was highly intelligent. But the similarities ended there. They were as dissimilar in personalities as was possible for two people with similar backgrounds to be. Ishida was everything Ulquiorra was not and vice versa. And yet, the two respected each other. They understood each other. They were the only ones who could challenge each other on an intellectual level.

"You should call Loly." Ichigo said after a while, "she is really worried."

"No." Ulquiorra said flatly.

"Dude," Grimmjow said as if he was talking to a five year old, "The girl dragged you from the middle of a potential fight, ensured that you reached hospital after you passed out. The least you could do is call her."

"I'll call her later, alright? Just leave me be." He snapped.

His roommates knew not to push him when he was in this mood so they sat back. The rest of the drive went by in complete silence. Grimmjow entered the flat first and was enthusiastically greeted by Pantera, his brown tabby cat. Pantera was the apple of the group's eyes and was thoroughly pampered.

"How have you been, boy?" Ishida asked scratching Pantera behind his ears, who responded by closing his eyes and letting out a low purr.

"He's totally spoiled." Ichigo said with a smirk as he entered the flat and walked past the two who were still pampering the cat. Suddenly Pantera raised his head and let out a hiss. It jumped from Grimmjow's lap and hissing at the door from which Nnoitra walked in, followed by Ulquiorra. Pantera let Nnoitra pass without any reaction. His eyes were fixed on Ulquiorra as he let out a loud mewl and swiped at him, his claws out. His ears went flat and backwards as the fur on his body stood up and he hissed at Ulquiorra, baring his teeth at him.

"Hush boy! What happened to you, it's Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow said, frowning.

Pantera however was displaying a strange aggression that none of them had ever seen before. It took both Grimmjow and Ishida to hold the strangely angry cat back before Ulquiorra could get inside. Everyone was confused by Pantera's reaction. He had been a cat that loved attention and would go to anyone that would give it to him. He loved everyone in the house and had never shown any kind of hostility to anyone till date. There had been times when he had curled up next to Ulquiorra in the night. So this display of aggression was completely out of character for Pantera.

"What happened to him?" Ichigo asked looking at the cat, that was still on it's guard.

"No idea." Grimmjow said with a frown. "Maybe he's hungry."

"Either that, or he smells something on Ulquiorra that it doesn't like." Ishida said thoughtfully.

"What could that be?"

"Smell of the hospital?" Nnoitra offered

"No. We all were at the hospital. If it's hospital's smell, it should have gone berserk on all of us."

"The bus stop maybe?" Grimmjow added thoughtfully, "That's where he passed out right?"

"Maybe." Ishida replied, not sounding convinced.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Ulquiorra splashed his face with cold water. His friends told him that he did something strange before passing out, something he had no memory of and it bothered him. Almost as much as the cat's sudden aggression. And then there was the woman. He was still haunted by her face, her lovely smile and the way she had looked at him. Slowly he became aware of something else. Something was different about him. He couldn't place it immediately, but there was something had changed. He splashed his face with water once again and stood up. That's when he realized what had changed. His headache was gone. He assumed it was because of the medications he received at the hospital. He expected the headache to be back in full force by the next morning, but he decided he didn't particularly miss it.

Not in a mood to socialize with his friends or put up with another episode of Pantera's weird behaviour, Ulquiorra went to his bedroom, changed and promptly fell asleep.

He guessed he had been asleep for at least a few hours when something woke him up. He knew this time it hadn't been the dream, but some physical discomfort that was the culprit. The silence prevalent in the house told him that all his roommates had gone off to sleep. He opened his eyes and almost screamed at what he saw by the light of the moon. Pantera was sitting on his chest, it's mouth covered with a bit of blood as it chewed on something, looking at Ulquiorra unblinkingly. If it were possible for a cat to have an expression, Ulquiorra would say that Pantera had a sadistic smile on it's face. Disgusted and more than a little creeped by the cat, Ulquiorra pushed it off his chest. Pantera gobbled whatever it was that it was eating, licked it's mouth and slunk off with a last look at Ulquiorra, who felt a strange chill run down his spine.


	3. Problems increase

The chapters of this fic is going to be smaller than my normal chapter sizes. I have received many queries about this fic regarding what I intend to do, where I intened to go with this. All I'll say for now is, sit back and enjoy. I have some surprises for you all.

Thanks for the reviews and alerts. As always, read and review.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Problems increase**

Ulquiorra woke up before his roommates. Despite Pantera giving him a nasty shock in the middle of the night, he had more or less slept peacefully. For the first time in days, he wasn't troubled by the dream, nor was he plagued by the headache. Taking care not to wake up Ichigo, he tiptoed to the bathroom.

Ulquiorra wasn't vain and sometimes it would be days before he would take more than a fleeting look at the mirror. This day too, he would have passed the mirror with barely a cursory look but he caught something from the corner of his eyes. There was something on his shirt. He turned to face the mirror and peered at the browinsh stain on his shirt. At first he thought it was left there by the cat when he had climbed on top of him after rolling on God knew what, but a second look revealed that the stain wasn't cakey like mud. Curious he took off his shirt and looked at it closely for inspection. He could make out a few grayish fur like things stuck on his shirt along with the brownish stain. It was then that he realised what it was, it was blood. Whatever it was that Pantera had hunted last night, he had made Ulquiorra's chest his dining table. Revolted he threw the shirt as he fought off a wave of nausea.

In the shower, he scrubbed himself hard and a little obsessively as if trying to get rid of the remains of Pantera's kill from his chest. It had taken a good twenty minutes of rigorous rubbing, lots of soap and scalding hot water for him to finally be satisfied that his chest was clear. Since he really hadn't planned to take a shower when he got in, he didn't have a change of clothes with him. So wrapping the towel around his waist, he opened the door of the bathroom only to find the cat sitting right in front of the door, with another freshly killed corpse of a mouse. As soon as he saw Ulquiorra, the cat picked up the dead mouse, deposited it on his feet and looked up at Ulquiorra as if it expected him to pat it's head in appreciation.

White hot anger coupled with disgust and a strange sense of foreboding made him do something he had never done before. He kicked the cat, hard and fierce on it's abdomen, making the animal fly a few feet before landing on all fours. He jerked his leg and got rid of the little mutilated body lying on his foot, went back into the bathroom, this time to clean his feet. Finally satisfied that his feet were clean, he went back to his bedroom to put on clothes. Ichigo was still asleep, which wasn't a surprise because he spent half of his Sundays sleeping.

He changed quickly, made himself a cup of coffee and strolled into the living room to find Nnoitra lounging on a chair with his guitar in his hand. Pantera, thankfully, was nowhere in sight.

"Morning." Ulquiorra greeted.

Nnoitra replied with a grunt, which told him his roommate was in a bad mood.

"What's wrong?"

"Been up most of the night. Can't get the damn tune right." Nnoitra replied, annoyed.

Despite his somewhat bizarre appearance, Nnoitra was a gifted composer who was struggling to make his mark. In the days, he worked at a warehouse, where he was in charge of cataloging the inventory. In the evenings, he was the guitarist at a bar. Both these jobs were to make his ends meet, his real job was to compose tunes. When Ulquiorra had met him, Nnoitra was loud, obnoxious and a letch with a potty mouth. He still was most of those things, but his language had improved significantly mainly because of Ulquiorra and Ishida's company.

The two of them fell in comfortable silence as Nnoitra continued to work on his tune and Ulquiorra sat back, reflecting on what he could only think of as an eventful Saturday. He was still wondering what made him react to that woman so strongly. Even now when he thought about her, he could still feel a strange tingling sensation at the pit of his stomach. He felt a strange desire to meet her again. He had absolutely no idea who she was, where she lived, what her name was, nothing. But he knew he had to find out. He debated on whether or not to ask for help from his friends, but decided against it. He could imagine each one's reaction clearly. Nnoitra would want to know if she was hot, Grimmjow would refuse to work so hard when he was getting nothing in return, Ichigo would probably help but he would have to endure endless lectures from the orange haired guy for that and Ishida would call it a fruitless waste of time. No, he could not ask help from any of them. This was something he would have to do on his own.

Then there was the issue of the cat gone berserk. If he was right in his assumption, he was the only occupant of the flat who was at the receiving end of the cat's insanity. He believed that was easily remedied. He would have a talk with Grimmjow and ask him to keep his cat away from him.

But before all of that, something had to be done about Loly. Till yesterday afternoon, he had only been toying with the idea of how to get rid of her, but somewhere between last evening and this morning, he had made up his mind to get rid of her, once and for all. His mind made up he got off his chair and walked to his bedroom. Nnoitra didn't even look up from his music sheets.

* * *

><p>"Loly, I need to talk to you. Meet me for lunch."<p>

"Sure," She chimed over the phone, "when and where?"

He gave her the name and the time they would meet.

Two hours later, they sat at a Greek restaurant, enjoying the pleasant spring time.

"How are you feeling now, sweetheart?" Loly asked sweetly. Clearly she was reading the signals completely wrong.

He nodded, twirling his glass of white wine in his hand. It was a little too early for him to start drinking, but he figured given that he was about to be a complete jerk, he might as well drink to it.

"So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Loly, I have to tell you...this isn't working. I don't love you. Never have, never will. I think it's better that you forget about me and move on."

"Oh! Is that so?" She said evenly.

Something wasn't right. She was much too calm for his liking.

"Yes. I see no point in carrying on this one sided relationship, you deserve better."

"So," She said leaning slightly on the table, her voice icy "you think you can simply call me out for a lunch and dump me like this, unceremoniously and I will calmly walk away wishing you a good life? Well think again Mr Ulquiorra Schiffer. No one, I repeat, no one hangs me to dry and gets away with it. You are in for some quality time with your personal hell. Good luck."

She calmly stood up, picked up her her glass of wine and threw the contents on his face before turning to leave. He blinked the wine out of his eyes, wiped his face with a napkin, threw some money on the table and left. On the way to his car, he suddenly thought

_That's two shirts ruined in as many days. I must be on some kind of a record._

Back home, he dumped his shirt and changed into his pajamas. Looking around he realized he was alone in the flat. He picked up a book from the shelf and decided to curl with it. He was about to lie on his bed when he saw something. There, on his bed, like a piece of decoration, was the bloody corpse of a dead mouse. Ulquiorra turned around and puked.


	4. A new dream

I had originally planned this story to be a not so simple supernatural love story. But somewhere down the line, it has now become a horror/romance. An extremely difficult genre and I have set up a HUGE challenge for myself with the plot line that I have designed. I would need constructive criticism from you all. Especially if any of you are well read in Horror or is what I call a horror purist, I would welcome feedback from you.

A special mention for Gorguts5 and Lilarin for very helpful reviews. Thank you. You both have given me pointers with which I could improve the fic.

Thanks now to everyone for your reviews, favorites and alerts.

Please read and review.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**A new dream**

He woke up at the sound of his phone's ring. Groggily he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Why are you sleeping in the middle of the day, young man?" A voice blared over the phone's speaker.

"Grandpa?" Ulquiorra sat up "How are you?"

"You are the one who should be saying that. I received a call from your girl friend that you passed out on a bus stop? Not only that, you were taken to a hospital too? And I come to know about it, not from you but from a girl? What is happening Ulquiorra?"

"When did you get the call?"

"About an hour ago, why?"

Ulquiorra checked his watch, it was quarter to six in the evening. So, Loly was being true to her word and done the first damage.

"It was nothing Grandpa, that's why I didn't call you. The doctor said it was just plain fatigue."

"Fatigue? Now why on Earth would a healthy twenty four year old male be fatigued? You are not doing drugs, are you?"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, "No. Don't you think I am a bit too old to start experimenting? If I didn't do drugs in my teens, what are the odds I'll do close to my mid twenties?"

"You are never too old to stray down the wrong path, my boy."

"Grandpa, seriously! Have faith in me. I won't do drugs."

"Then why were you fatigued?"

"From lack of sleep."

"Why would you have lack of sleep? That's something that plagues people of our age."

Ulquiorra sighed, communication with his grandfather was tiring. He had to give it to the girl, she chose a good way to give him hell.

"I wasn't sleeping well in the nights, Grandpa." he replied with a dull monotone.

"Why? Have you been whoring around?"

Ulquiorra spluttered, "What? No! Where do you even come up with these ideas?"

"Well, I was young too sometime. I have had my share of fun too, if you know what I mean."

"Thanks for the mental image." Ulquiorra said sarcastically, which was completely lost on the old man.

"Then why have you not been sleeping properly?"

"Dreams. I have been having... dreams." Ulquiorra said in a resigned voice. He had never been able hide anything from his grandfather. The old man was much too sharp.

"What kind of dreams? Of girls?"

"Grandpa! Can I have some privacy please? I am not four anymore."

"You'll always be that little Ulquiorra for me. The one who used to drag that bat plushie around. What was it's name again?"

"Murcielago. I was three at that time and you gave it a name I couldn't even pronounce."

"Your point being?"

Ulquiorra wondered why he even tried to talk to his grandfather about things. It was impossible to talk to him. He had never once won an argument against the old man.

"Nothing."

"So tell me, what kind of dreams have you been having?"

"Nightmares. Can we please give it a rest? These things happen."

"No they don't. My grandson passes out in the middle of the street and you expect me to just let it go? Send over all the doctors report. I'll run it by Jushiro."

Jushiro Ukitake was their family doctor.

"That man is sick himself. How does he treat patients?"

"Send over the reports as soon as possible." His grandfather said as if he didn't hear Ulquiorra's comment.

"Alright fine. I'll fax it over tomorrow. Happy?"

"Good. And about the nightmares, how often do you have them?"

"Grandpa, I am sure you have had nightmares too. You know how things are."

"I don't son. I have always slept like a baby. About the nightmares, do you want me to book an appointment with Byakuya?"

"I don't need a psychiatrist for a few nightmares grandpa!" He was starting to think he probably should have said he was indeed whoring around. _Well played, Loly._

His grandfather proceeded to interrogate him for another twenty minutes, by the end of which he was ready to pull his own hair out. But for once, Ulquiorra hadn't divulged the all the information, he had somehow managed to keep the contents of his dream a secret. He ended the call with a tired sigh, to find himself staring at the grinning face of Ichigo.

"That old man really knows how to get to the heart of the matter, huh?" Ichigo said laughing.

Ulquiorra scowled, "Be thankful you don't have to face someone like him."

"What, have you met my father?"

Ichigo had a point. If old man Schiffer was persistant, Kurosaki senior was perhaps the most ridiculous man Ulquiorra had ever come across. Ichigo Kurosaki worked at an advertising agency. Though he never told anyone himself, he always secretly hoped that someone would one day offer him a job as a model for one of the ads that he helped create. It was actually his father who had practically shouted this secret in front of everyone, much to his son's horror.

Grimmjow walked into the room with a worried look on his face.

"Guys, have any of you seen Pantera?"

"Yes," Ichigo said, "I saw him outside sometime ago. Why?"

"He hasn't touched his food since yesterday evening."

"Grimmjow, about Pantera. Can I make a request?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Yeah?" Grimmjow said, sitting on Ichigo's bed.

"Can you please keep it away from me?"

"Is this about yesterday? Cause I know for sure that it was the first time he ever freaked out like that. I apologize on his behalf..."

"No, no. This isn't about that. Pantera...he's...he's behaving strangely with me. That's all."

"Strange how?" Ichigo asked before Grimmjow could say anything.

"He's...he's sort of offering me dead mice. Like..." he stopped himself from saying the words that had come to his tongue, partially because he didn't want to hurt Grimmjow and mainly because the words sounded stupid to his own ears. He had been about to say

_Like I am the deity in some pagan ritual._

"Dead mice? Pantera hardly ever hunts." Grimmjow said, "In all these years I have seen him bring in a rodent or something twice, maybe thrice."

Ulquiorra had expected this reaction from him and said, "Well, just keep him away, OK?"

"He sort of has a mind of his own, but yeah, I'll try to keep him away."

* * *

><p><em>All around him it was green. The dirty rotten green accompanied by a fetid smell that churned his stomach. He had to get out of here before he choked. He pinched his nose and resisted the rising bile. He trudged on making his way out of wherever he was. A small sound to his left made him turn around and he saw Pantera, sitting there, licking blood from it's paw. He retched at the sight and quickly moved away. He however sensed Pantera walking after him. A strange disembodied voice whispered in his ears<em>

"_Do you think I will let you go so easily?"_

_He quickly turned around to see who had whispered, but there was no one except the cat who was looking up at him. A bright white light flashed and in it he saw her. Her hand extended as if she was trying to reach out to him but when he reached out her hand disintegrated._

He woke up with a jolt, his whole body covered in sweat and he was panting. He wiped his sweat from his face and was about to lie back down when his eyes fell on Pantera. The cat was sitting at the foot of his bed, licking blood from the exact same paw as in his dream, in the exact same manner. When it sensed Ulquiorra looking at it, it stared back at him, just like it did in his dreams. For the first time, Ulquiorra felt very real terror.


	5. Warnings of a storm approaching

People have been asking me when does Orihime come up actively in the story. Well, here she is. An Ulquihime cannot be complete without hime, can it? Also making an appearance are Urahara and Yoruichi (Although Urahara doesn't have a dialogue yet.)

I know this update has been slower than my average, but that's cause the last chapter of my other fic was giving me a lot of pain. I thank everyone of you for your patience, support, reviews, favs and alerts.

Oh and Noburu is my OC.

Read and review.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Warnings of a storm approaching**

The headache had returned in full blast next morning putting Ulquiorra in a really black mood. He quickly popped two pills in his mouth, swallowing it down with a huge gulp of coffee. He picked up his medical records and walked out of the room. Pantera was waiting for him outside his room, with yet another dead mice. Pretending that he didn't notice the bloody, sinewy mess hanging from his mouth and ignoring the metallic taste of disgust rising in him, he walked out of the flat.

He stopped briefly at a shop on his way to the bookstore, faxed the medical records to his grandfather. When he finally reached the bookstore, his face twisted in a grimace. The bike parked outside meant that the co-owner of the bookstore was here. He rarely showed up on the bookstore and usually had the habit of rubbing Ulquiorra the wrong way. Mr. Noburu, the primary owner, was way too polite for his eccentric partner, Kisuke Urahara. Long ago, Noburu's shop had been struck by lightning and had burnt down, leaving behind a skeletal structure. It was then that he was introduced to Urahara by an old customer. Urahara had agreed to put in money in the shop in exchange for a 15% stake on the profits. Desperate for money, Noburu agreed. By the time Ulquiorra had joined, Urahara had long since gotten back the money he'd invested in the shop and yet, he continued to claim the 15% of the profits. When Ulquiorra had tried to explain this to Noburu, the old man didn't seemed the least bit perturbed. Instead he'd laughed and said that he was happy that Urahara was there. The two seemed to share a strange bond that was beyond Ulquiorra's understanding, but then, despite all his intelligence, figuring out relationships had never been his forte.

Bracing himself for the inevitable, Ulquiorra walked into the store.

"Aah there is the handsome young man I have been waiting for." A female voice echoed across the book store, followed by the unmistakeable silhouette of Yoruichi, Urahara's girlfriend.

"Yoruichi." He nodded coldly. While he was still civil to an extent to Urahara, his job description didn't include politeness to her. He mostly gave her the cold shoulder.

Smiling the woman walked closer to him, "How was your wee..". About ten feet from Ulquiorra, she stopped, all the flirtatious expression gone from her face.

"Ulquiorra!" There was a strange urgency in her voice that he had never heard before, "stay away from her."

"What?" He turned his head sharply, surprise making him momentarily forget about his headache. He immediately regretted it.

"Her. I am not entirely sure who it is, but she is not good for you. I sense some bad times ahead of you."

"Oh, your mumbo jumbo again, huh?" Ulquiorra said caustically, his eyes closed as he desperately tried to control the throbbing pain in his head.

Yoruichi Shihoin was a celebrated psychic of Karakura town and had a huge following. Ulquiorra however had always pegged her as a hoax, playing on the vulnerabilities of unsuspecting people.

"Ulquiorra," the psychic said seriously, "I know you consider me a hoax and don't like me one bit, but trust me, you are in danger. I sense a very powerful presence around you, possibly malevolent. She'll be the ruin of you, trust me."

"Maybe the antenna of your clairvoyance is tuning into Loly's channel. She fits the description to the T. Now if you will please excuse me, I have better things to do than to listen to your gibberish."

"Don't ignore my warning, Ulquiorra Schiffer. I do not joke about such things."

"Which means you are worse than I thought." He replied, his annoyance finally getting the better of him, "You are not only tricking the poor unsuspecting people out there, you are tricking yourself as well."

He gave her one final curt nod, to which his head protested vehemently and walked deep into the bookstore.

"You are going to just let him go away after that?" Noburu asked Yoruichi as he and her partner joined her.

"It's alright ." She replied, not taking her eyes off Ulquiorra's back. "I am used to the non-believers lashing out at me. They get very uncomfortable because I push them out of their comfort zones and therefore they attack. Some do so verbally, others physically. Reacting to them will only add fuel to the fire. I am not insulted by his behaviour, but I am genuinely worried about him. I am not entirely sure what I am seeing at the moment, but whatever I have seen so far, I don't like it. Not one bit."

* * *

><p>It was close to sundown when Ulquiorra stepped out of the bookstore. Noburu had long since left the store and it was up to him to lock up for the day. He proceeded slowly because every movement seemed to hurt his head. He had barely finished locking up, when he sensed someone standing a little ways from him. Turning around he was startled to find her standing a few feet away from him, looking away.<p>

Once again, she knocked the breath out of him. He frowned slightly as he tried to figure out the best possible way to approach her without freaking her out. He decided on a direct approach and walked up to her.

"Hello." He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, the posture he was most comfortable in.

She smiled at him and nodded.

"I don't know if you remember me.." He started.

"I know who you are, Ulquiorra Schiffer." She replied.

_She has such a beautiful voice._ He thought, aloud he said "Really? I didn't think I was that well known."

She smiled but didn't reply, causing a minor distress for him. Conversations were never his strong point and conversation with a stranger was a skill he lacked severely.

"Umm so..err..you.." _Damn it! Get past your 'umms' and 'errs'._ He thought fiercely.

"I am Orihime Inoue, if that's what you are asking." She said with a knowing smile.

Despite himself, Ulquiorra grinned.

"That's a beautiful name." He said, somewhat self consciously.

"You are very shy." She said, cocking her head slightly, "Don't worry, it won't last long."

For some reason, he felt his inherent nervousness around strangers melt away as he asked her,

"You seem to know a lot about me."

She shook her head and replied, "I am merely observant."

"So what else have you gathered about me?" he asked, surprising himself.

"You work in that book store. Your car is parked somewhere close by, and despite the fact that you are actually talking to a complete stranger, you find that your inhibitions are melting away."

"Book store, I get it. You saw me locking that place up. Car, I get it. Since I have car keys in my hand. How did you come to the last conclusion?"

She smiled, pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and said, "I'll answer that the next time we meet."

"You are confident we will meet again?"

"Oh absolutely."

Before she could say anything else, his phone rang. He saw the display showing his grandfather's number, he deliberated for a moment whether to pick it up or not and decided to let it go to voice mail. He put the phone back into the pocket of his jacket and looked up to find himself standing alone. There was no sign of Orihime anywhere.

* * *

><p>Later that night, as he was washing the utensils, he realized that his headache was gone. He was surprised but theorized that maybe having his dinner had reduced his headache. After he finished cleaning the kitchen, he sat on a chair in the living room where Ichigo and Grimmjow were noisily playing a car racing game on their shared video games console, a pack of beer sitting in between them. Ulquiorra reached down and picked up a can of beer. He felt he had earned it, especially since had spent majority of the evening talking to his grandfather, who had Jushiro Ukitake with him and was making the poor man go over and explain every sentence of the medical reports, just to ensure that his grandson was fine.<p>

"Yo, Ulquiorra!" Nnoitra screamed as he entered the flat. Given his job, he was almost always the last member to come back, "there's a package for you."

"Me?"

"If your name's Ulquiorra Schiffer, then yes, you bet your ass it's for you."

Sighing, he stood up and took the bulky looking package from Nnoitra's hand, who walked inside to freshen up. From it's shape and size, it seemed to be a shoe box, covered with a blue gift

wrap. A small card was attached to the box read,

ULQUIORRA SCHIFFER, ENJOY THE FLOWERS...

As he opened the wrapping, Ichigo and Grimmjow abandoned their game and walked over to either side of him, curious. Inside the box were a bunch of white lillies which seemed slightly wilted. On one corner, in a bit of a clump lay some mud and another note. Grimmjow picked up the note, read it and screamed,

"What the fuck? What kind of a sick joke is this?"

"What happened?" Ichigo asked.

Before Grimmjow could reply, Ulquiorra already knew what he was going to say. He threw away the box as Grimmjow explained

"These flowers are from a fucking graveyard!"


	6. Terror

This is a shortish chapter but I am messing with our hero a bit here. Not gonna say much except, thank you for your support, reviews and all your love. I am over the moon!

Read and review. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Terror**

That night, Ulquiorra experienced terror the likes of which he had never experienced in his life. After a brief conversation regarding the package Ulquiorra had received, every one in the flat had gone to bed with a bad taste in their mouths.

"It's tantamount to a death threat, Ulquiorra." Ichigo said seriously, his face set in a scowl, "Do you suspect anyone?"

He nodded slightly, his brows furrowed. He couldn't take his eyes off the flowers, lying on the floor where he had thrown them.

"Who is it?" Ichigo asked.

"Loly. I broke up with her recently, she didn' take it too well."

"Fuck!" Nnoitra sweared, "I never pegged her to be such a bitch."

"Have a word with her dude, this sure is fucked up." Grimmjow said seriously.

"I will." Ulquiorra said, feeling anger rise within him.

Wordlessly he got up, kicked the bunch of flowers out of his way and walked into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Realising that he wanted to be left alone, his roommates honored his decision. Grimmjow and Nnoitra went to sleep in their own beds while Ichigo made himself comfortable in the living room.

Several hours later, Ulquiorra's slumber was broken but why, he had no idea. He sat up on his bed, half expecting Pantera to be somewhere nearby, but he was alone in the room, the door firmly closed. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. He got off his bed and looked around everywhere in the room. In the dim light of the moon that filtered through the glass of the windows, it appeared that everything was as it was supposed to be.

"What's wrong?" He muttered to himself, "Why do I get the feeling something is really wrong?"

That's when he heard it. A slight rustle, as if something brushed against a surface. The door was locked, the window closed and there was hardly any wind to cause that rustling. Telling himself that it was merely a paper that was fluttering, he turned around.

There, in the bluish-silver light in which the room was bathed, by the white wall, he saw the silhouette of a woman whose face he couldn't see. His heart leaped to his mouth as he watched the woman move slowly towards him, her hand outstretched. Eyes widened, he stepped back hastily, tripping on himself.

Slowly the figure approached him as he sat frozen on the floor. The shadow stood towering over him, started bending slightly toward him and whispered in a papery voice "Ulquiorra."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. The scream that had been building at the pit of his stomach released itself at the top of his lungs. The figure paused, as if uncertain. As the lights started flicking in the flat, the shadow flickered and vanished. There were a few loud bangs on the door before his roommates started screaming.

"What the heck, dude?" Grimmjow's voice sounded over the knocks.

"Asshole! You scared the shit out of us." Nnoitra screamed, "What the fuck is going on?"

Ichigo silenced his hot headed roommates and asked out loud "Ulquiorra, you alright?"

Panting, covered with sweat and shaking like a leaf, Ulquiorra continued to stare where the shadow stood, ignoring his friends' shouts.

"What's the matter with him?" Grimmjow asked.

"No idea." Ichigo replied.

Slowly, with constant knocking, Ulquiorra came to his senses. He sighed, pushed his hair out of his face and waited for his heart to become steady. Once he had a reasonable amount of control over himself, he got up from the floor and opened the door.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked.

"Nothing." He replied shortly.

The three men shared a look with each other. They decided to give it one more shot.

"You screamed like a fucking madman." Nnoitra said.

"Bad dream. Sorry."

"That's it? Sorry? You fucking ass, you bloody scream like you have seen death itself and all you have to say is a fucking SORRY?" Nnoitra seemed.

"I am sorry. I have nothing else to say." He said dismissively.

The three of them looked at each other and nodded. Ichigo walked in and slumped on his bed and the other two went back to sleep.

Switching off his light, he lay on the bed frowning at the ceiling. He was fairly certain that he had seen and felt the presence of a person, a woman, within a closed room. It had scared him terribly. Yoruichi's cryptic words came back to him, making him feel annoyed with himself for even thinking of those words. All his life, he had rubbished people like her, their claims, their beliefs. He wasn't about to start paying attention to them now. So, if he dismissed Yoruichi's claims, there were only two options available to him. Either he had had an extremely vivid dream or he was hallucinating. He sighed, turned on his bed and went over the event mentally. He had heard the voice, clearly. He had felt the clammy coldness radiating off the being. He had clearly seen it flicker and disappear. There was no way that was a dream. Therefore that left only one option left, an option he didn't really like but an option that he was forced to consider.

He spent the night tossing and turning on his bed. He woke up at the crack of dawn, showered and started leaving the flat before any of his roommate could wake up. Pantera however had other ideas. As soon as Ulquiorra changed and left his room, the cat slunk up to him.

"PANTERA!" Ulquiorra whispered fiercely as the cat was about to lay another dead mouse at his feet, "If you don't want to be kicked again, get away."

The cat paused, looked up at him as if he understood what Ulquiorra had just said. But then, he still dropped the mouse, although not on his feet but a couple of inches away from him and looked up at him hopefully. Ignoring the cat and the dead mouse, Ulquiorra walked out.

He drove around the town, his mind in a turmoil. Over the night, he had reluctantly come to a decision, one that he wasn't too happy about. In the daylight, the event of the night was easier to trivialise. However, he could still remember the terror he had felt and he wasn't willing to go through that again. He wanted to talk about it to someone and it couldn't be any of his roommates. He drove aimlessly for a while, waiting for the time to be somewhere close to eight so that he could make a call. Stopping at a cafe, he ordered a coffee and a grilled cheese sandwich. As he waited for the order to arrive, he made the call reluctantly.

"Hello." A smooth voice sounded over the phone.

"Byakuya, this is Ulquiorra Schiffer."


	7. Hallucination?

Hello again, I am back. This update was a little delayed I know but what to do, life happened. :-D

In this chapter, Byakuya enters the story. His dialogues are a little wordy, yes, but he explains something very important. He also voices a bit of my personal opinion about general attitude towards psychiatrists/psychiatric patient. I also mess with Ulquiorra a bit more. The scene that I have here was partially inspired by a suggestion Lillarin had given to me (which in turn was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Birds) although I change the sequence significantly and keep only one small aspect of the original scene that was suggested. I thank her for the wonderfully creepy suggestion.

As always, thank you all for being patient through my ramblings. Please read and review. Thanks in advance :-)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Hallucination?**

To a casual observer, Ulquiorra would have looked like a handsome young man sitting at a restaurant waiting for a friend. His calm body language betrayed none of the anxiety he felt. As was his habit, he ran his hand over his messy black hair that fell over his collar in a fruitless attempt at controlling them, but his hair had always had a mind of it's own. His thick brows were knotted in a frown, but then that too was habitual. His startling verdant eyes were the only feature of his face that showed the deep unrest in his soul. Dressed casually in a pair of brown chino pants and black button down full sleeve shirt that he'd left open at the collar, Ulquiorra exuded a confidence he didn't quite feel. The terror from last night was still fresh on his mind, though he succeeded in concealing it from everyone. He'd taken the day off his work, spending the day all by himself. The only person he was willing to talk to, was on his way to the same restaurant and had called to inform that he was stuck at a traffic jam.

Ulquiorra waited a good fifteen minutes before Byakuya walked in. Tall, slender man with sharp features, Byakuya was a sight to behold. His slate grey eyes slanted slightly inward, outlined by small, thin straight eyebrows. A sharp nose rested over thin lips. He had long black hair that he normally tied in a small ponytail but today he had chose to leave it free. He was wearing a long overcoat, which he had left unbuttoned, over his business casuals.

When Byakuya joined Ulquiorra, the two of them were easily the two best looking people in the restaurant and therefore were attracting quite a few appreciative glances from the guests and staff alike. The waitress serving them couldn't decide on which man to focus more of her attention and ended up looking quite flustered and comical. The two men engaged in small talk till lunch was served. Rukia, Byakuya's sister, was another common link between the two besides Schiffer senior and therefore the conversation stayed on Ulquiorra's grandfather, Rukia and Ichigo till the simpering waitress left after serving their lunch.

"So," Byakuya said, "I assume you didn't call me here for a small talk."

Ulquiorra nodded, trying to figure out the best possible way to approach the topic. He fiddled with his food for a couple of minutes and then spoke up.

"If someone is hallucinating, would you say they are going mad?"

Had it been anybody else, they'd probably ask him straight away who was hallucinating, how serious was it, why hadn't they gone to a doctor, yada yada. Byakuya however, took his time in answering the question, weighing his words before answering and that, besides his expertise, was precisely why Ulquiorra had chosen him for this job.

"Mad." Byakuya said finally, "I cannot explain how much I dislike that word. It is probably the most mis-utilized term in day-to-day life. Human mind is a complex thing. When the body is unwell, people do not think twice before they go to a doctor. However, when the mind is unwell, the person is immediately labeled mad. That's like saying, every sickness is a fever. Won't that be a gross mistake?"

Ulquiorra nodded, indicating that he was following so far.

"Hallucinations are caused by many things, not all of them because of a mental sickness. Extreme emotions such as a deep trauma, loss of a loved one, wars, natural disasters, all of these can make a person hallucinate. That's just one of the many ways that the mind tries to cope with stress. Would you call these people mad? No. You know that stress can make your body behave in a strange way but it's effect is not limited to body alone. It effects the mind too. Insomnia can also make a person see things. Like the body, the mind needs to rest as well. If it doesn't get the rest it needs, it'll behave erratically. Prolonged drug use and I am not talking just about the contraband ones here, can also bring about hallucinations. Yes, hallucination is a major symptom of mental imbalance, but is hallucination equal to mental imbalance, no."

At Byakuya's words, Ulquiorra felt a surge of relief go through him. He had been having disturbed sleep for more than a month so whatever he saw back in his room, must have been a product of his sleep deprived mind. A new question came to his mind.

"How realistic can a hallucination get?"

"Very. To the person who's seeing it, it's as real as you and me sitting here and talking. Which is why sometimes people cannot tell the difference between what's real and what's a hallucination."

"So you can not only see, but you can hear, feel, smell and taste it as well?"

"Absolutely." Byakuya said, "Think of it as an alternate reality. People have lived out entire lifetimes in the world that their mind has created for them. Human mind is very powerful. If I can convince you that you have a pain in your forearm and it's ingrained in your mind somehow, you will actually feel the pain. No amount of pain killers will rid you off the pain. So, if the mind can fool your body into believing that you have a pain your hand, why can it not make your eyes see things that aren't there?"

"So, if someone comes to you with the complaint that they are hallucinating, what you do?"

"I would try to determine the cause of it. In most cases, change of environment, a vacation, a good bit of rest or in some cases, a change of medication should do the trick. You know why? Because if a person has realised it themselves that what they are seeing or experiencing is not normal and therefore it needs to be addressed, that tells me that they most likely are not suffering from a mental instability. Of course, as a trained professional, I also notice body language and the patient's eyes." Byakuya paused, looking at Ulquiorra meaningfully he said, "My professional opinion is, a good rest, coupled with a few days of vacation should solve the problem. However, if at any given point, it worsens, call me immediately."

Ulquiorra smiled slightly, knowing that Byakuya had caught on.

"Thanks Byakuya. I trust this conversation to remain absolutely private."

"Don't worry. Not a word of it reaches to your grandfather or my sister."

"Thanks. Your fee?"

"Nothing. I did it for a friend." Byakuya said with the hint of a smile.

The two men moved on to other topics for the rest of the lunch. Ulquiorra paid the bill, insisting that it was his treat and the two parted with a shake of their hands. Ulquiorra had planned to go to his flat after the lunch and search the Internet for more information. However, a couple of miles away from his home, he abruptly stopped the car.

The next thing he knew, he was sitting on the bench of what appeared to be a park with absolutely no idea of how he had gotten there. He stood up and looked around, trying to gauge where he was and he realized that he had no clue. All he could see was a thin tar road that seemed to run along the shore of a lake or pond that was dotted with benches at regular intervals. His watch told him that it was almost three hours since he had left the restaurant.

"That can't be right." He muttered.

Confused and more than a little unnerved he pulled out his phone. To his intense surprise, there was no network.

_I couldn't possibly have driven out of the network range._ He thought, refusing to let panic settle in. He ran a hand through his hair and licked his lips, trying to figure out what to do. His car had to be somewhere nearby, he couldn't imagine that he had walked out of the cellular network range. But looking around he couldn't tell which way would the parking lot be, neither could he see anyone whom he could ask. He realized that standing in one place wouldn't do him any good so he picked up a random direction and started walking, hoping that it would lead him somewhere. Soon enough, he spotted a map of the park on a signboard. Breathing a sigh of relief he studied it and realized that he had picked the wrong direction after all. The parking lot was on the other side and it was a 2 mile long walk. He sighed, turned around and started walking in the other direction.

He concentrated on walking on the path, forcing all thoughts out of his mind. He kept telling himself that he had to first get out of the mess he was in before he could analyze as to how had he landed himself in it. Try as he might, he couldn't remember what had he done after he stopped the car a couple of miles away from his home and that was disturbing him.

"Don't think, not yet. Concentrate on finding your car_._" He told himself.

So focused was he on trying not to let panic settle in, that it took him some time before he realized why he felt a strange prickling at the back of his neck. Someone was watching him. He turned around abruptly, but there was no one around. The park continued to stay as desolate as ever.

Shaking his head, he told himself yet again to concentrate on getting out of the park. He walked for a little more when the mile marker told him that the park exit was another mile away. He used the back of his hand to wipe the perspiration that had settled on his brow because of the hot afternoon Sun. He had barely crossed the mile marker when the feeling of being watched returned, this time even stronger than before. He turned around to catch the culprit but yet again, there was no one there.

"Who's there?" He called out only to be met by silence.

Unbidden his mind threw up the terrifying image from the previous night and his heart skipped a beat.

_You will not think of that, you'll not let panic settle in._ He told himself, bunching his right hand into a tight fist. He turned around and started walking towards the parking lot, telling himself that he needed to find his car. He walked almost half a mile when he came across another map of the park. Normally he would have continued walking because his sense of direction was immaculate, however, he gave the map a passing glance and then did a double take. According to the map, the parking lot was 2 miles away on the _other_ side.

"That is insane!" He said, frowning. Looking around he realized that he was in the exact same spot as he had been when he had first seen the map.

"Alright," he told himself, ignoring his rising heartbeat, "I am hallucinating again. I need to get out of this...whatever _this_ is."

He closed his eyes, counted slowly till ten. Not feeling very confident, he counted another ten and then another and then opened his eyes. Where there had been not a single living soul around him before he closed his eyes, there were now thirty or so cats surrounding him all of whom had a dead mice/rat/squirrel in their mouths. His heart was now beating at a completely erratic rhythm, he quickly stepped back, only to find himself being blocked by cats. He watched with increasing horror and revulsion as the cats started to lay their 'offerings' at his feet.

"NO!" He screamed, "Go away!"

He somehow managed to push a few cats away and make a small way for himself. He ran in the direction he had been going before he saw the signboard for second time. He turned his head once to find that the cats were following him, not running but still somehow keeping up with him. He increased his speed but the cats continued their pursuit. He ran for what seemed like an eternity to him. Presently he could see the parking lot. He had a stitch on his side and was panting now, sure that he had run a lot more than half a mile (which was how far the parking lot was technically supposed to have been). He looked over his shoulder once again and the cats were still following him. He was about to turn and start running, putting in his last spurt of energy into it, when he realized that among the thirty odd cats that were following him was the hated brown tabby with golden eyes, Grimmjow's Pantera.

"You are seeing things, Pantera cannot be here!" He told himself firmly and ran on to the parking lot, thankful that his car was parked there. Once near his car, panting, covered with sweat, thirsty and aching in more than one place, Ulquiorra turned around to find that there was no one behind him. The park was as empty as it had been when he had found himself in it.


	8. The long road home

The title of this chapter is inspired by a book written by Danielle Steele. I chose this title because majority of the chapter is Ulquiorra trying to get back home from that park I had sent him to. Orihime makes a small but a very important entry. This chapter essentially deals with Ulquiorra trying to grapple with what happened to him. I also introduce some other elements in the story. As always read and review. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**The long road home**

As a soccer player who was trying to find a place in national team, a player at the club level and as a trainer of a junior league soccer team, Grimmjow's clothes were almost always dirty. Therefore, he ended up with the maximum laundry load and spent a lot of his time doing his laundry. That evening too, he was alone in the flat with only Pantera for company who was currently sleeping. He was scrubbing the collar of a shirt, dressed in only a pair of black shorts that came up to his knees, whistling tunelessly when the door bell rang.

"Coming,coming, keep your shorts on." He said, as he dipped the shirt back into the washer. He wiped his hands with a towel as he walked to the door. He flung the towel on his shoulder and opened the door, without checking who rang the bell. Two black haired girls stood there, staring at his disheveled appearance with barely concealed mirth.

"Rukia, T-Tatsuki? What are you both doing here?"

"Oh come on blue," Tatsuki said walking in, "Don't tell me you forgot."

"Forgot what?" He asked as he watched her slump on a chair and Rukia follow the suit.

"Rukia here is dating Ichigo and I asked Ulquiorra for help with some stuff."

"Well neither of them are here." he replied, throwing the towel on the floor as he walked over to his own room.

"Where are they?" Rukia called out.

"Ichigo should be back in some time," he walked back into the living room pulling a white T-shirt over himself, "I have no idea where Ulquiorra is."

"By the way, I heard he has dumped Loly." Tatsuki said leaning forward.

"None too soon I would say." Grimmjow said huffing.

"Why do you say so?" Rukia asked.

"Don't take me the wrong way, I know she's a friend of you girls, but boy she's messed up. I mean who the fuck sends their ex-boyfriend flowers from a graveyard?"

"What?" The two girls chorused.

"How did Ulquiorra react to it?" Tatsuki asked.

"Well, you know him, he won't say a thing. But I think he's very disturbed. He threw the box when he realized where the flowers were from. Last night, he screamed so loudly, he woke all of us up. No one's seen him since this morning."

"That sucks. Let me see if I can offer him an apology on behalf of my friend." Rukia said getting up. She pulled out her phone and walked out of the flat for a better reception.

"So," Tatsuki asked him, "How's the soccer practice going?"

"Fine." Grimmjow said not meeting her eyes, "Coffee?"

"Yeah sure. Mind if watch the TV?"

"Sure, be my guest." Grimmjow said as he quickly darted out of the living room and into the kitchen. Tatsuki always set his pulse racing and made him nervous. She stripped him off his usual confidence without even trying. So long as he had company, he could still maintain a facade but as soon as they were alone, he found himself going weak at the knees. No one knew that he had been pining for her for almost a year now.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra sat with his head on the steering wheel, panting heavily. Fear and a deep sense of unease had made him take the car out of the empty parking lot and he drove away, keen on putting as much distance as possible, between himself and the park. He drove for about ten miles till he came upon a gas station of a small town. As he refilled his car, he fished out his GPS and selected "Go Home". According to the GPS he was a little over 150 miles from his home in the direction he had started driving. Given that he was at the park almost three hours after the lunch and that his normal speed was 60, he theorized that he couldn't have done much else in his fugue state, other than drive. He fervently hoped he was right. He heard the ding of the gas pump indicating that his tank was full. He took his head off the steering wheel, put the hose back in the pump, paid for gas using his credit card and started heading home.<p>

He had been driving for a little over an hour, his brain having a million thoughts when his phone rang. Without looking at who it was, he picked up the phone, thankful for the distraction.

"Hello."

"Hello Ulquiorra, Rukia here."

"Rukia, hi! How are you?"

"I am fine. Listen, I heard about Loly and her flowers. I just wanted to apologize on her behalf."

"Hey, you aren't the one who sent them to me. You shouldn't be saying sorry." Ulquiorra said, wishing Loly was half as decent as her friend.

"Thanks. We are at your place, Tatsuki needed your help. So I was wondering when you'd be back."

"It'll take me a couple of hours, minimum."

"Fine, see you then."

"See you." He disconnected the call

Secretly he was glad she hadn't asked him where he was. Though his GPS told him where he was, he still had no idea where he was. He had never been in this area and on this route. His headache had returned in full force because his thoughts were swirling like a tornado in his mind, leaving devastation in it's wake. He stopped at another gas station and picked up a cup of coffee, a couple of cookies and a painkiller. He had to concentrate on the road and his blinding headache was a major hindrance. Quickly finishing his cookies, he used his coffee to swallow the painkiller and started back on the road. He drove on for half an hour more before the impact of everything that had happened hit him. He managed to pull the car to a side road and barely parked it before he was overtaken by a fit of shivers. He tried his best to tell himself that it was all a result of his sleeplessness. But right then, with his car parked at a desolate looking side road of an empty highway, with not a living soul in sight, he found it very difficult to not think that he was really losing it.

Stone cold panic settled somewhere at the pit of his stomach making him feel sick. His life was fast reeling out of control and he had no idea what to do to get back some normalcy. Up until now, he had been able to handle whatever had been happening to him but the incident in the park had pushed him over the edge. He didn't quite understand what was happening to him and it wasn't a situation he was very familiar with and it made him extremely uncomfortable. He cranked up the AC of his car, put his head on the steering wheel and closed his eyes.

He was woken up with a knock on his window pane. Groggy, disorientated and with a significant crick in his neck he woke up to find himself staring down a pair of brown eyes, a pockmarked nose and a face full of well maintained blond beard. It was a face he wasn't familiar with, at all. He blinked and frowned, as the man outside his car flashed a badge and signalled him to roll down the window.

_Oh, he's a cop._ Ulquiorra thought and rolled down his window. Squinting his eyes, he could read part of his name, it was something that started with 'John' but it was obviously longer than that.

"Are you feeling alright Mister?" The cop asked "Why were you sleeping in the car?"

"Sorry Officer, been having a tough couple of days. I had a headache and wanted to let the painkiller take effect."

"In any case, I have to check your car and your belongings for any sign of drugs."

Ulquiorra understood and co-operated. It was a while before the cop was satisfied that there were indeed no drugs or alcohol in Ulquiorra's car or in his possession.

"Like I said said officer, I have had a rough couple of days."

"I understand," the cop said with a fatherly smile, "but you see young man, this is not a very safe area, especially for a lone person. The sun has set and this place has seen wolves come out after sundown. You might want to get a move on."

"It's that late?" Ulquiorra realized that meant he had slept for more than a couple of hours.

"Yes. Will you be able to drive?" The cop asked.

"Yes Sir. Thank you so much."

"Go on, get going."

Ulquiorra nodded at the cop, rolled his window back up and started driving.

Close to an hour and a half later, he was driving through the familiar roads of Karakura town and was immensely relieved. His phone's battery had died and he was actually glad for it. His head was still pounding, although not as bad as it had been initially but he still didn't think the phone's ring would have done him any good. He was looking forward to a good dinner and a good night's sleep. As he was parking his car in it's open air parking slot, he spotted her walking towards him with a smile. Instantly, he felt his heart skip a beat. Even though he'd had what was possibly one of the worst days of his life, he was happy.

"Miss Inoue."

"Mister Schiffer, how have you been?"

"Fine. Good to see you."

"Fine? You don't look all that fine."

"Well," he said, once again struck by how perceptive she was, "I have had a rough day."

She smiled and said "I see. I would have thought you look sleep deprived. Take a good rest tonight, you'll be fine tomorrow."

The sound of a bike being stopped close by attracted both their attentions. A tall, lanky man got down the bike and took off his helmet. It was Nnoitra.

"Hey Ulquiorra." He said waving at him

"You are early." Ulquiorra commented.

"Yeah, some shitty lock down at the bar, some fucking gas pipe leak or something of the sort. You coming up?"

"In a bit." He said and turned his attention back to the smiling orange haired girl standing in front of him. On an impulse he said, "My flat is right here, can I offer you a cup of coffee?"

Her smile widened as she said "Much as I am tempted to, I would have to pass. I really have to go and you are tired. You will sleep well tonight and we will meet later. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Miss Inoue."

"You can call me Orihime."

"Then it's Ulquiorra for you."

"Done. See you." Saying so, she walked away. Ulquiorra watched her go as till she disappeared from his line of sight. Smiling very slightly, he ran upstairs.

As he walked in the living room, he was handed a note from Tatsuki saying she couldn't wait for long and that she would come by again later. His headache was gone, as was all the stress and tension of the day and thus he had a spring on his step. He quickly freshened up, changed, had dinner and sat down on one of the chairs in the living where Ichigo and Grimmjow were having a lively discussion with Nnoitra pitching in every now and then. The four men sat chatting companionably for a while. As they were getting ready to sleep, Nnoitra asked,

"By the way Ulquiorra, what were you doing standing downstairs when I came?"

"You saw me, I was talking to that girl."

"What girl?" All of his roommates asked.

"Well, she's someone I have just met a couple of times, but I like her. So..."

"Dude, what the fuck are you talking about?" Nnoitra cut in.

"What do you mean?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Other than you, there was no one there."


	9. The mystery deepens

Finally, after quite some time, I update the next chapter of this fic. A heart felt thanks to my Beta Cerice Belle. You definitely helped in making this chapter better. :)

I have also started working on "Flying high", with the first one-shot already posted. Please do take a peek if you already haven't.

Thanks in advance.

As usual, R&R.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**The mystery deepens**

Ulquiorra's brain refused to process Nnoitra's words, "What are you talking about?"

"Just what you fucking heard, asshole. You were alone. So who's this fucking girl that you are talking about?"

Ulquiorra pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to control his rising temper.

"Nnoitra," he said after a while, "I am not entirely sure I understand."

The tall man stared at his roommate for a few seconds and said "What the fuck can't you understand, damnit? THERE WAS NO ONE WITH YOU! YOU WERE FUCKING ALONE!"

Ulquiorra shook his head and said "How is that possible? I saw her, right there. Spoke to her. How can you say there was no one?"

Nnoitra opened his mouth to say something but Ichigo cut him short,

"How many times have you met this girl?"

"A couple of times."

"So, can you introduce us to her?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure. I will." Ulquiorra said.

"Cool. Call her as soon as you can, alright?" Ichigo said with a smile that turned into a yawn, "Let's go and sleep. We all have work tomorrow."

Ulquiorra didn't need to be told twice, he turned on his heels and walked into his room. Nnoitra turned to Ichigo with a frown and said,

"What the fuck are you playing at?"

"Some thing here is seriously wrong, don't you see?" Ichigo was looking in the distance with a frown, "Your and his stories don't match and Ulquiorra isn't behaving like himself."

Grimmjow said in a low voice. "I think he's in denial."

"Denial about what?" Nnoitra said, his voice reflecting his impatience.

"How would you react Nnoitra, if you were told that the person you were talking to, wasn't really there? It's enough to freak anyone out." Grimmjow replied reasonably, "I think Ichigo's got it right."

"Tch! Whatever." Nnoitra said with annoyance and walked into his room.

"One a hothead and the other in denial. How did we get so lucky?" Ichigo said with a small grin.

"Luck of the draw, dude, luck of the draw." Grimmjow said patting his shoulder.

"True that." Ichigo replied, "Good night."

"Good night."

Ulquiorra lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He heard Ichigo come in the room.

"Could you please close the door after you?" Ulquiorra said.

Wordlessly, Ichigo complied and lied down on his bed. The black-haired man looked around the room he shared with Ichigo. It was sparsely furnished with two beds that were placed at ninety degree angle of each other. The door was at the foot of Ichigo's bed and at the head of his own were a wall closet, that Ichigo used and a cabinet that was used by himself. A couple of windows were on either side of the closets. Parallel to his own bed was Ulquiorra's work desk and Ichigo's desk was at the head of his own bed, with a large window between them. A couple of small bed tables next to each bed completed the room. Nnoitra and Grimmjow's rooom was a mirror image of theirs at the other corner of the house, with the bathroom between the two rooms. The door of Grimmjow and Nnoitra's room opened into the living room with the main door of the house facing them, while their own opened into the dining room with the open kitchen facing them.

This small two-bedroom apartment was what Ulquiorra had come to regard more as his home than the palatial house he had been brought up in. He liked living with these three men who, despite living in such close quarters, had given him the personal space that he craved for all the time. However, now that his life had started resembling a cheap horror movie, he didn't know where to go. Home was where he was meant to feel safe, but safe was the last thing he was feeling at the moment. Between Pantera's madness, Loly's antics, the headaches, the hallucinations and the fugue state he had been in this afternoon, Ulquiorra was fast reaching the end of the rope of his patience. Added to that was Nnoitra's claim that Orihime wasn't really there, he was ready to scream in desperation. Was Orihime a figment of his imagination as well? He refused to believe that. It was not possible; it just could not be the case. But Byakuya's words came to his mind- "_To the person who's seeing it, it's as real as you and me sitting here and talking."_

Did that mean that he was hallucinating without even realising that he was doing so?

_No, that can't be._ He argued mentally, _After all, when I saw the woman in the room, or when I saw the board in the park, I knew there was something wrong. I immediately recognized them as hallucinations._

_What about the cats? You don't even know what that was._ The nasty part of his mind countered.

He ran a hand through his hair and then massaged his temples slightly. Yet again, Yoruichi's words of caution came to his mind and once again he pushed them away forcefully. That woman was a hoax and paying attention to anything she said was a huge mistake- one which Ulquiorra wasn't willing to commit. Despite his troubled thoughts, his exhaustion was finally getting the better of him and slowly his eyes started to drift shut. He had barely closed his eyes when a beep from his phone awakened him. Irritated he picked up the device from his bedside table to read the text message he had received. It was from Loly:

**U jerk. stop spreading nasty rumors about me.**

_Huh? What was that all about?_ He wondered. Deciding that he couldn't be bothered with his ex-girlfriend's shenanigans, he put the phone back on his bedside table and curled up to sleep. His confused mind and exhausted body struggled against each other for supremacy, but in the end, the body won and he fell asleep. For the first time in many nights, he had a peaceful sleep, uninterrupted by any dreams, apparitions or rogue cats.

* * *

><p>When he woke up next morning, he felt thoroughly rejuvenated. Ichigo was still sleeping, so he quietly opened the door and stepped out of the room, only to find Pantera sitting with his usual offering dangling from his mouth. He could hear Nnoitra singing in the shower and Grimmjow was nowhere to be seen. On an impulse he crouched next to Pantera, who dropped the mouse and looked up at him.<p>

"What's going on? Why are you doing this?"

In response, the cat pushed the tiny mutilated body towards him with it's paw.

"What? What do you want me to do with it?"

The cat's golden eyes continued to stare at him for a while then Pantera purred and circled around him a couple of times.

"Were you really there in that park, Pantera?" He asked once the cat had settled down.

Pantera looked up and for an instance Ulquiorra saw a flicker of intelligence in it's eyes. Something told him that the cat knew exactly what he had asked and that he was actually enjoying Ulquiorra's discomfort.

_Rubbish!_ He thought immediately and stood up. _Get a grip on yourself Ulquiorra; you are having a conversation with a cat!_

Giving himself a mental shake he walked into the kitchen to prepare for the day.

Later that day, as he was getting out of his car to go into the book store, his phone rang. Seeing that it was Loly, he debated whether to answer the call or not. He was tempted not to, but he knew that she would simply keep calling till he answered. So, unwillingly, he answered,

"Hello."

"YOU JERK!" She screamed, causing him to hold the phone away from his ear a bit.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" She screeched. Her voice reminded him of the shrill cry of a peacock he'd seen at a zoo as a kid, "You have been telling tales, that's what's wrong, you bastard!"

Biting down the stab of annoyance he felt, he said none-too-gently "What do you mean?"

"You have been telling your friends that I sent you flowers from a graveyard? What the fuck do you think of yourself?"

"Didn't you?" He countered.

"Most certainly not. Although now, I wish it was me who sent it."

He was flabbergasted. If there was one good thing about Loly, it was that she was honest. If she had indeed sent those flowers, she would have the gall to admit it as well. And if she said she didn't send it, then that was the truth, she didn't. His previous irritation gone, he said in a milder voice,

"If not you, then who?"

"How the fuck should I know? So far, all I had done was give a call to your grandfather, but now you have pushed me a little too much. You painted me as a psychotic bitch in front of everyone, so a psychotic bitch is what you'll get. Good luck!"

The call was disconnected, leaving Ulquiorra completely confused. He stood on the pavement, staring at his phone, wondering what had happened, when suddenly he heard someone call out his name from behind. Although he had heard the voice only once before, he would never in his life forget the whispering, papery quality of it. Nor would he ever forget the cold, clammy feeling associated with the voice. Heart thudding in his chest, he slowly turned around to find himself staring at an empty street. However, he could still clearly hear the rustle; feel the chill that he had felt the first time. A strong fetid, putrid smell like meat gone bad, assaulted his senses forcing him to retch and go down on all fours. His eyes watered as he struggled to keep himself from throwing up. Panting heavily, he clamped a hand on his chest, trying to subdue his nausea. He heard that repulsive, disembodied voice call out his name again and let out a loud maniacal cackle that made his ear drums throb.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **It just came to my notice that people are getting confused as to who laughed in the end. So let me clarify, it's actually the voice that laughed, not Ulquiorra.


	10. Discussions

After a long time I update a chapter in this fic. Sorry for the delays but I had sort of hit a block. This chapter was written when I was having the block so naturally it's not a very long one. As for the lame title, that's because I couldn't think of anything else. In the end, the last lines that Ulquiorra speaks are his opinion alone. The cold, nihilistic, emotionless Ulquiorra is surfacing. Apologies if those lines hurt your religious sentiments.

To those who haven't yet seen it, I have also started working on a new fanfic that was originally named as "My Hope" but has now been renamed to "Trust to Hope." Please do take a look and leave your reviews.

Also do take a look at the work of a very talented writer and a friend of mine 'Icefrosty'. She is easily the best crack fic writer I have ever come across.

Special mention to my Beta Cerice Belle. I am making her work really hard, thank you so much dear. As usual R&R.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**Discussions**

Her heels made a sharp clicking noise on the marble as she walked with a slight sway of her hips. She was a short petite woman who had black cropped hair with a strand hanging between her big expressive violet colored eyes. She was dressed in a navy blue skirt, a white ruffle top and a navy blue full sleeve jacket. She had a small smile on her lips as she walked over to the table where her boyfriend was sitting in reading the menu. When he spotted her he smiled, dropped the menu on his table and stood up to give her a hug.

"Hi Rukia, how are you?" Ichigo's hazel eyes lit up. "Come, sit."

"How are you Ichigo? You sounded strange on the phone." She said as the two of them settled down.

"I am fine." He replied with a wave of his hand, "It's actually Ulquiorra that I wanted to talk to you about."

Rukia frowned, "Ulquiorra? Why? What's wrong with him?"

"That's the thing." Ichigo said with a scowl, "I am not certain if any thing is really wrong with the guy or not. He's...he's acting weird."

"You mean weirder than usual?"

Ichigo smirked "Yes, weirder than usual. He's...He's...Something seriously wrong with him."

"What's wrong with him and what do you want me to do about it?"

"Just hear me out and tell me if I am overreacting. I need a third person perspective on this."

Rukia raised an eyebrow, "You want a third person perspective, or do you want to vent your frustrations?"

"Both actually." He said, wondering yet again how easily this chit of a girl read him, "See, the thing is, the guy has been sort of..I don't know, spaced out. He complained about a constant headache a few days ago. The other day he screamed his lungs out in the middle of the night, waking everyone of us. And yesterday, he was sort of traceless. But it gets worse. He came in yesterday and was talking about some girl. But Nnoitra claims there was no one there."

"Wait a second." Rukia held up a hand to pause Ichigo's monologue, "Where did Nnoitra come in from? And what girl are you talking about?"

"Oh I am sorry, I'll start over." He took a minute to reform his thoughts and started again, "You remember yesterday none of us knew where he was?"

On Rukia's nod, he continued, "Well he came in late in the night at around 10:45- 11:00. Nnoitra came in at around the same time as well and he saw Ulquiorra down at the parking spot. When asked, Ulquiorra claimed he was talking with a girl. But Nnoitra sweared that he was alone. Ulquiorra obviously didn't take it too well when Nnoitra said that."

"Yeah, wonder why?" Rukia said sarcastically.

"Rukia, I am wondering if the guy is falling sick. Should we do something?"

"And what exactly do you plan to do?" She asked.

She was used to her boyfriend's over-protective tendencies. If he cared for anyone, he would go out of his way to ensure that his friends were safe and happy. While it was mostly an endearing quality, she had also learned that his help wasn't always welcome and Ichigo had no idea when not to interfere. So several times she had to intervene and pull him back. She felt this was one of those times when she would have to stop him from going overboard.

"I am not sure, I told him to bring that girl to meet us but... I think he needs more help."

Rukia sighed, "Has Ulquiorra said that he needs help?"

"No, but.."

"Then just wait till he gets the girl to meet you all. It's quite possible that Nnoitra just didn't see her. I mean, you said it was late in the night, plus at a parking spot. It's not really hard to imagine that she was standing in the dark and that Nnoitra simply didn't see her and that you all are jumping to conclusions?"

"Alright, maybe I am jumping the gun, but the guy has been acting strange."

"Look," She said leaning on the table, "Ulquiorra has always been a little...how do I say it...different? Yes, different. He's just dumped his girl friend and she hasn't really taken it too nicely. That must have had some kind of effect on him. Give him some time, I am sure he'll be back to his usual strange self soon."

Ichigo cocked his head to one side and said "You think so?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright, I'll do as you say."

The two of them moved to other topics of conversation, trying to ignore the elephant in the room when the waiter came by for the order.

* * *

><p>"What just happened?" Noburu hovered nervously over Ulquiorra as he sat hunched on a bench, still heaving.<p>

Ulquiorra chose not to reply. He closed his eyes and tried to ask himself the same question- what had just happened? What was that _thing_ that seemed to take pleasure in his misery? What was that smell that accompanied that thing? He felt his head was about to explode. He heard the door of the bookshop open and someone step in. He decided to let Mr Noburu handle the customers, he needed time. Unfortunately, they weren't customers. They were the last people Ulquiorra wanted to see at that point, Urahara and Yoruichi.

"Yo Ulquiorra!" Urahara said, much too cheerily for Ulquiorra's liking. "What's wrong? You look pale."

Ulquiorra shot him a look as if to say _Really?_

"I mean paler than usual." The man grinned.

_And you seem more annoying than usual._ Ulquiorra thought, but chose to remain quiet.

"Things are going out of control, aren't they?" Yoruichi said, looking at him.

"I didn't ask for your opinion." He snapped.

"I am giving it to you, whether you asked for it or not." She replied smoothly. "Trust me when I tell you this boy, you are in trouble. Really bad trouble."

"Gee, what gave it away?" he spat back sarcastically.

Yoruichi smiled tightly and said "Scoff all you want brat, I really don't mind, but I am trying to help you here. I am the only one who can help you right now."

"I don't need your help." Ulquiorra said firmly, wincing at the pain that shot up his temple, "I am in a bit of a trouble, but it's nothing I cannot handle. You just stay away from me."

She looked at him intently for a while then smiled.

"She is not going to stay away from you. Just remember, I am there should you need me."

Saying so she left the men. Noburu looked at Ulquiorra nervously and went after Yoruichi but Urahara stayed. He sat down next to Ulquiorra, his face serious.

"Ulquiorra," Urahara said in a low voice, "I am a man of science and yet I have been with that woman for fourteen years. Ever wondered why?"

"Speculating about your odd tastes and preferences has not been on my priority list."

Urahara grinned, "You have a nice way of saying 'I care a damn about you.' However, I want to say this, I was almost as much a skeptic as you are. But over the past fourteen years, I have come to acknowledge that Science cannot explain everything. There are things..." he paused as if trying to gather his thoughts, "that cannot be explained. Where Science stops, the realm of the Supernatural begins. And there are humans who have the power to sense that realm. She is one of them. Fourteen years Ulquiorra, it's a long time. In all this while, I haven't seen her go wrong, even once."

Ulquiorra glanced at Urahara coldly, "Don't call yourself a 'man of Science' if you are going to mouth those lines. Realm of supernatural? What a load of trash! Science is a progressive subject. Yes, there may be things that Science can't explain today but it doesn't mean it cannot explain it tomorrow. It's complete ignorance that's making you say those things. People believed lightning to be an act of God. But I am sure you know what causes lightning and that God has nothing to do with it? So don't give me that supernatural crap. You believe in that hoax, it's your choice entirely, don't force it on me."

He stood up and walked away, ignoring the throb in his head. Behind him, Urahara shook his head slowly.


	11. What is reality?

The writer's block is still effecting me. I don't have any idea why I am not able to write this particular fic at all. I am at a very important part of this fic but I am struggling so much with this. The next chapter is perhaps the single most important chapter of this fic. So until I am 100% satisfied with that chapter, I won't be uploading that chapter.

Thanks for supporting me through all this. As usual read & review.

Oh and thanks to Cerice Belle, my dear Beta.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

**What is reality?**

Ulquiorra's fingers drummed on the steering wheel as he waited for the bumper-to-bumper traffic to inch forward. He had had an exhausting couple of days- scratch that, it was an exhausting couple of months. The unwelcome visit of Urahara and Yoruichi had only fueled the irritation that was already within him. His patience was fast running out and he was only a little way from snapping completely. He chewed the inside of his cheek to keep him from shouting out in frustration at the non-moving traffic. He pressed his thumb to his left temple, his index and middle finger on the right temple and slowly messaged his throbbing head. For once he missed not having Nnoitra's colorful language in his vocabulary because he really wanted to swear. Finally, the car in front of him moved with a sudden jerk. Exhaling loudly, Ulquiorra put his car in gear and slowly slid forward, hoping that he would reach home before the day ended. He had barely moved a few feet when the car in front of him came to a stop yet again.

"Oh come on!" He groaned, as he stopped his car for the umpteenth time.

Thoroughly bored, annoyed and more than a little exhausted he slumped on his seat and ran a hand through his hair. Suddenly his eyes fell on the sidewalk and his breath hitched. There, on the other side of the road, stood the one person he wanted to see. The one person who was quite possibly the key to all his problems. On an impulse, he jumped out of his car, abandoning it in the middle of the road, unmindful of the honks and the shouts of the drivers behind him. He hastily crossed the street, and went to the other side of the road, ignoring the throbbing of his head.

Orihime turned her head to him before he reached her and smiled sweetly at him. That smile had a devastating impact on him, making his heart skip a beat. He came to a stop next to her and said,

"I have to talk to you, now."

She nodded and said "Where's your car?"

He waved a hand in the general direction, "There."

She grinned, "You abandoned it in the jam?"

"It's not like it's moving anyway."

"Let's sit in your car and talk. I was looking for a ride anyway."

He led her back to his abandoned car, thanking his lucky stars that police hadn't come calling. Once inside the car, Orihime put on the seat belt and asked,

"So, what is it that was so urgent?"

"You remember that roommate of mine, the one who came on a bike the other day?"

She nodded, indicating that she did remember.

"Well, for some very weird reason, he claims that he couldn't see you."

To his immense surprise, she smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Ulquiorra asked, staring at her.

"Your roommate said he couldn't see me and you get so worked up? That doesn't sound like you. What else is bothering you?"

_How does she know what is like me and what not?_ He thought, but dismissed the thought and concentrated on what he wanted to say.

"Well, you are right. Indeed, there are things that are bothering me, but nothing that I cannot handle."

Orihime raised an eyebrow, but stayed quiet.

"I just need a small favor from you. I need you to just come to my flat once. A cup of coffee with me and my roommates. That's all. I need to show them that I am not making you up. You are a reality."

"Reality?" Orihime whispered with a small smile, "What is reality, Ulquiorra?"

The car in front of them moved a little more and Ulquiorra took the opportunity to think before he could answer.

"Reality. What is not a figment of someone's imagination, I suppose." He replied, unsure where the conversation is going.

"Is that so? So are you telling me, that the imaginary friend that a five year old plays with is not real? Who says so? Just because he's not real for you and me doesn't mean he's not real for the child. So what is reality in this case?"

He didn't have an answer to that.

"You are troubled because your friends are challenging your reality but essentially, it's not you who should be troubled, it's them. They are scared."

"Scared?" Ulquiorra looked at her perplexed. Scared was what he was, not his friends.

"Yes scared. Your reality is different from theirs. It's human nature to try and reject what is different because it scares them. No human is comfortable with different. It is the primary reason discrimination exists. Race, caste, religion, all the things that have led humans to persecute one another, it all boils down to this one fact. Humans don't like different."

Ulquiorra was stunned. She was quoting him, almost verbatim. He clearly remembered an argument he had with Ishida on this very topic. He had said more or less those very words and now this woman was saying them to him. For some reason it perturbed him quite a bit. He licked his lips and frowned at the unmoving traffic. His instinct was telling him that he was missing something very important but his tired brain couldn't make the connection. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, telling himself to focus, but the harder he tried to think, the sharper the throb in his head became.

'_She is not going to stay away from you'_

He shook his head as if trying to dislodge Yoruichi's words that seemed to have developed an annoying habit of popping up in his mind of their own accord. He sighed and looked at Orihime sitting in the passenger seat. She was looking at the unmoving jam in front of her, lost in whatever it was that she was seeing.

"Orihime," He said, "I never asked you before, but what do you do?"

"Me?" She laughed. For some reason her laugh reminded him of wind chimes, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yes. Why does that surprise you?"

"No, it doesn't surprise me. It's just that.." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Forget it." She said waving a hand, "Do you still want me to come and meet your friends?"

"I do. Will you?" He tried not to sound too hopeful.

However, before she could reply, almost miraculously the traffic let off. They drove on, mostly in silence, with Orihime telling him once where to drop her. He pulled his car to a stop in the location she had mentioned. She started to get out but stopped, turned to look at him.

"I'll come." She said. When he looked confused, she elaborated, "To meet your friends. I will come to your place in two days, five in the evening sounds fine?"

"Yes." He said with a smile, "Five sounds perfect."

"Good, see you then." She said. Then with a strange smile she added, "Remember Ulquiorra, reality is not always what it seems."

With those strange words she walked away without turning back, leaving a strangely unsettled Ulquiorra staring after her.


	12. The longest night

Given how much of a problem I was facing with the last couple of chapters I honestly wasn't expecting this chapter to be done so easily. I decided to try and give this chapter a shot now and once I started writing, the words just flowed. I hope this means that the stupid block is gone and that I would be able to finish this fic. There is not much left. Just 8 more chapters and an epilogue. Fingers crossed, I should be able to finish this fic by end of November.

I won't say much about the chapter itself other than the fact that I am messing with Ulqui a lil more. (I am a sadist :p)

This chapter wasn't beta'd by Cerice Belle, as she's unavailable at the moment. As usual, R&R.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

**The longest night**

Ulquiorra had expected some sort of questions from his roommates regarding Orihime, but they didn't ask a single thing. He supposed he should be glad they didn't ask, or probably feel irritated that they didn't bother, but he was only mildly surprised to realize that it didn't matter to him what they thought. When after dinner, they sat together to tell each other about their day and how it went, he found that he couldn't tell them anything. What would he have told them anyway? That he heard an incorporeal voice accompanied by a stifling stench of rotting flesh? Or was he supposed to say that he got lectured by a 'man of science' about the 'realm of supernatural' after his psychic girlfriend warned him about some mysterious presence? Or perhaps the fact that his own words had eerily been repeated to him by a girl, who according to Nnoitra, wasn't even there? When put that way, it sounded stupid to his own ears, he had no doubts how it would sound to someone else. His roommates were already having doubts about his sanity; he really didn't feel like giving them all the more reason to think so. As they spoke about their days, Ulquiorra found himself tuning them off. They didn't interest him. Some part of him realized that his apathetic reaction to them was a first but he wasn't as bothered by it as he thought he should be. He sat there, silently, watching them talk to each other and have fun but he couldn't get himself to join them. When Nnoitra finally decided to call it a day, Ulquiorra got up as well. As he hit the bed, he thought he was glad to see the day end. He was looking forward to a good night's sleep.

He had no idea just how wrong he was.

* * *

><p>How had he reached there? What was he doing in the kitchen? It was still night, the digital clock on the microwave displayed 2:12am in bright green numbers. So why wasn't he in his bed? He remembered going to sleep at around midnight, so why wasn't he still sleeping? His body was tired so he knew that he didn't get the requisite amount of sleep. Why couldn't he remember getting out of his bed and walking over to the kitchen? Perhaps he was thirsty and came over to the kitchen on his own? But that didn't make sense. He wasn't thirsty and the light was off. Why would he not switch on the light? The faint glow of the street light that permeated into the kitchen was nowhere enough for him. Was he sleepwalking? But even that didn't make any sense. He wasn't a sleepwalker. He never had done so in his life, why would he start now? Ulquiorra ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath to calm his erratic heart. He quieted the nasty voice in his head that was telling him that he did in fact lose three hours of his life earlier when he landed in that park inexplicably. It was trying to tell him that he ended up in the kitchen similarly. He told himself to get back to bed and talk to Byakuya about it the next day. Just as he was about to leave the kitchen, he heard the slight purr of a cat. For some reason that purr did not bode well with him, he turned around slowly to find himself looking at the luminescent eyes of Pantera. Something about seeing those eyes there, without being able to see the rest of the cat's body scared him. He stumbled backwards.<p>

And then he smelled it, the smell that turned his stomach to ice. It was the same rancid smell that he had come to associate with the apparition. Soon enough, by the faint glow of the digital clock and the light of the street lamp, he saw her glide into the kitchen bringing in the nauseating stench with her. Ulquiorra's eyes widened as he saw her stop a couple of feet from him. She didn't move or utter a sound. To his horror he saw Pantera move up to her, purr softly and settle down at her feet. The scream that tore from his throat was bloodcurdling. He expected lights to flicker in the house, his roommates to come to him swearing a blue streak. At this point he would have even welcomed a punch from Grimmjow but what followed his scream was worse than anything he could have imagined. As his scream died, a loud cackle filled the room. She was laughing- at him. Why? What happened? It was then that he realized that none of his roommates had come over. No lights had been switched on. The apparition took a step closer to him and he stumbled back, his upper body falling backwards on the kitchen counter. A sharp pain shot up his left arm and he realized that he had cut himself on the knife that was on the counter. What was a knife doing there? They always put all the utensils away before going to sleep. And why was it lying with its sharp side facing up? But he didn't have time to think about it since she was getting closer. In utter panic he grabbed the knife, his hand sticky from the blood flowing off his wound, and threw it at her.

Without waiting to see the results he ran out of the kitchen and into his room. Slamming his door tightly shut, he ran over to Ichigo's bed.

"Ichigo!" He said, panting, "Wake up! Please, for heaven's sake wake up."

His orange haired roommate slept on. He shook his roommate in desperation as a loud papery laugh filled his ears, but to no avail. Ichigo continued to be asleep.

"What the fuck!" Ulquiorra shouted in frustration. He tried shaking his roommate again, but with the same result. His eyes went wide with terror as he saw the door of his room open slowly and Pantera walked in followed by her.

"ICHIGO! WAKE UP YOU BASTARD!" Ulquiorra screamed but he might have been screaming himself hoarse at the wall for all it did. He moved away from Ichigo's bed as she moved closer to where he was. Avoiding her he went over to his bedside table and picked up his cell phone. The phone almost slipped out of his hands that were wet with sweat and blood. Since she was standing near Ichigo's bed, he ran around his bed and out of the room. He ran to Grimmjow and Nnoitra's room hoping that they hadn't closed their door. They hadn't. Thanking his luck he ran into the room and stumbled over to Nnoitra's bed. He shook the tall, lanky man in desperation.

"N..Nnoitra…" He said shakily, his voice sounding raspy, "wake up Nnoitra, help. Please, for fuck's sake man, wake up!"

No use. Nnoitra slept on, just as Ichigo did. As he was moving to Grimmjow's bed, he smelled her before he heard her. She had reached into this room as well. A small terrified whimper escaped his lips when he saw her. He tried waking Grimmjow up but he knew what the result was going to be. Grimmjow continued to sleep, just as Ulquiorra knew he would. When he had picked up his phone, he was hoping he didn't have to resort to what he was going to do now, but probably he had known back then how futile it was going to be to try and wake his roommates up. Shaking like a leaf, he backed up against the closet as she laughed maniacally and Pantera continued to purr, circling her reverently.

He quickly found Uryuu's number and dialed it hastily. She had stopped her laughter when he had started to dial, but as soon as he put the phone to his ears, she started laughing again and he soon knew why. All he could hear was static. No rings, no irritated voice saying hello nor a plain and mechanical voice mail. Nothing, just plain and simple static. It was then that Ulquiorra realized, he was truly alone in this nightmare. Pure, unadulterated and a very primal fear filled him as the full impact of his predicament hit him. She moved in closer to him, filling him with horror and revulsion.

"No!" He howled, "Stay away from me! Go away!"

He slid away from the closet as she glided near him. His primal instincts took over and he ran once more. Instinct told him to get out of the house and away from her. He ran forward to where he knew the front door was and blindly groped for the latch. Unfastening it he quickly grabbed the handle with his right hand. He could hear her abhorrent papery laughter start yet again and he knew- the door wouldn't open. She was not going to let him get out.

"Please!" He said sounding close to tears, "Open up."

He tugged and pulled at the door with all his might but it wouldn't budge. It was as if something was holding the handle on the other side- something that was much stronger than he was. He used both his hands, but the door still stayed as it was.

"Ulquiorra" She said slowly, with a malicious mirth in her voice.

"NO!" He hollered his voice hoarse and cracking, "GO AWAY!"

He stumbled backwards and crashed onto the bookcase, falling down with it. He hoped against hope that the crash would wake his roommates, but it didn't. He blindly grabbed a few books and started hurling them at her in an effort to deter her. To his absolute terror, it flew right through her.

_But how can that be?_ He thought because he could see Pantera still fussing about her feet.

For the first time in his life, Ulquiorra prayed. _Please God, let this be a nightmare. Let this be a horrible dream. Please!_

She moved in closer and he scrambled backwards, still on the floor. His voice had deserted him in his utter panic. He continued to move backwards till he found himself backed up against a wall and wedged between two chairs. He was now truly and well cornered. Before he could do anything, she quickly moved over to him. Her revolting smell assaulted his senses as fear took hold of him. The last thing he remembered was the cold clammy feeling of her presence surrounding him.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra shot up in his bed panting to find himself staring at the very surprised face of Ichigo. It was bright and sunny outside.<p>

"I was wondering when you would get up." Ichigo said.

"W..what time is it?" Ulquiorra muttered.

"8:45 Am. I am late. I am leaving now, there's breakfast on the kitchen counter. See you in the evening."

He nodded. Once Ichigo left, he sighed. It really had been a dream. The scariest one he had had till date, but a dream nonetheless. He raised his left hand to rake it though his hair when a sharp pain shot up his hand. There, on his forearm was the deep wound that the knife had gouged last night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Heh! How was that? Messed with him real nice? Tell me what you thought.


	13. Terror, Rage, Hypnosis

This chapter needs a long-_ish_ Author's note.

Firstly, there is a scene here that might disturb the more sensitive reader but the scene is needed because it shows that Ulquiorra is losing it.

Second, this chapter needs a bibliography. Some parts of the chapter are taken from Wikipedia & mindrisehypnosis. (both are websites). This chapter has some medical facts. I have no medical knowledge and what I have presented here is what I have read online and understood. I have tried my best to avoid as many medical jargon as I could and mke it understandable to people. However, if someone with a medical background reads this and finds that I have put incorrect information out there, please feel free to let me know. I will be happy to correct the information.

Finally, special thanks to my beta Cerice Belle. A heartfelt thanks to my readers as well for supporting me. I am close to 100 reviews on this story. When the reviews touch 100, I'll be giving all of you a special shout out. As usual, read and review.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**Terror, Rage, Hypnosis**

Terror. _The dictionary defines it as a state of intense fear. However, nothing in the definition quite encompasses the feeling. The words always fall short to describe the emotions that course through the person who's in the clutches of terror. The change that happens in a person is not merely emotional; there is a physical manifestation to it as well. Sweating, palpitating, trembling, breathlessness, dilated pupils and nausea are a few of the common symptoms that are associated with fear. Humans have always known fear; it's a part of their composition. The reason humans feel this emotion is owing to Amygdala, also known as corpus amygdaloideum. The Amygdalae are an almond shaped group of nuclei located deep within the medial temporal lobes of the complex vertebrates, including humans. Primarily it forms and stores memories associated with emotional events. When confronted with something that brings out the fear conditioning of the Amygdalae, it triggers fear behavior in the vertebrate. _

Ulquiorra was well aware of the theory. But now that he was actually facing terror, he had no idea how to cope with it. What could he possibly do to loosen the grip of fear? He sat on his bed, clutching his hair in his fists as he tried to tell himself that he was overreacting because of an overly vivid dream. But he couldn't come up with any explanation for the gaping wound on his left hand. If it had really been a dream, why did he have the wound on his hand? And if whatever happened last night was true, then how was he alive?

He didn't even want to ponder on the bizarre events of the last night. He didn't think that he could make any sense of it, no matter how much he thought about it. The shrill ring of his phone startled him. He picked up the cell to find it strangely devoid of any blood stains.

"Hello?" he whispered.

"Ulquiorra," Uryuu's voice sounded on the other side, "Why did you call me last night?"

"What?" He was aghast.

"You called me at some ungodly hour last night. I had my phone on silent so I didn't pick it up, but you didn't even leave me a voice message. Is everything alright?"

"Yes." Ulquiorra replied in a cool and calm voice, "Sorry about last night."

"Ulquiorra," Uryuu said, sounding worried, "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something's going on. You sound…different. You know you can talk to me, right?"

_And exactly what can I tell you that won't sound like I have lost my marbles? _Ulquiorra thought. Aloud he said,"Uryuu, there is nothing wrong."

"Fine, if you insist." Uryuu replied, the tone of his voice making it clear that he didn't quite believe Ulquiorra. "Call me if you need anything, alright?"

"Will do."

Ulquiorra disconnected the call and stared at his phone, his mind replaying the events of the previous night. He was still lost in his thoughts when he spotted Pantera in his peripheral vision. He turned around to find the cat sitting on Ichigo's bed, looking at Ulquiorra unblinkingly. A rage, like he had never felt before, overcame him. Slowly and deliberately, he rose up from his bed and walked up to the cat feeling an icy calm take over him. With a cold cruelty that he didn't know existed within him he picked the cat up by the scruff of its neck and brought it to eye-level.

"You freaking monster!" Ulquiorra whispered, looking at the cat which was now motionless, limp and staring at him with its golden eyes. Somewhere in those feline eyes, he could see intelligence. As if the cat knew exactly what was going on.

"You were with her, you were there in the park, you are the cause of all this, aren't you? Maybe I should kill you." He said coldly.

Simultaneously spurred by feelings of intense fear, hate and anger, his hold tightened on the scruff as he brought his other hand to the cat's neck and wound his fingers around the animal's throat, as if he was trying to strangle it. The cat let out a loud meow. Almost immediately, all of the intense feelings that had driven him to unprecedented cruelty went away, leaving only an empty chasm behind them. Realizing what he was about to do, he flung the cat away which hit the wall, landed on its feet and shook itself slightly. Casting the cat one last look, Ulquiorra randomly picked up some clothes and walked into the bathroom to freshen up.

* * *

><p>Byakuya's office was plush and stylish, primarily owing to his rich clientele. The mahogany interiors were pleasing to the eyes. His office reflected his neat and organized personality, with rows of books lining one side of the wall. A floor to ceiling glass window offered a splendid view of Karakura. A writing desk, three chairs, a couch and a couple of money plants completed the décor.<p>

In his line of work, Byakuya had seen a lot of people. He was accustomed to many things. However, what he was seeing now was like nothing he had ever seen before. The emerald green eyes into which he was staring right now were empty. There was nothing in them. Even in the worst of the bad cases that Byakuya had handled, eyes had always reflected something. But now, staring into Ulquiorra's eyes was akin to staring into the eyes of a dead man. And more than anything, it was those empty green orbs that were disturbing him. He was thinking about the strange tale that Ulquiorra had just narrated to him. He had a feeling that what he heard was actually the edited version and that the real tale was stranger still. However, patients with psychological issues often came up with strange tales. From what he had heard so far, it sounded to him like his patient was suffering from a certain type of mental illness called Schizophreniform disorder, a form of psychosis closely related to Schizophrenia. His hallucinations coupled with the bizarre experiences that he had been talking about and his confession to feeling an extreme emotion at one instant and feeling completely devoid of them in the next were almost enough to confirm his condition. But Byakuya was never one to rush his diagnosis. He always preferred to double check and be hundred percent sure of his diagnosis before he prescribed any medications to his patients. He decided to probe Ulquiorra further to see if he could find any other underlying symptom that his patient may or may not be aware of.

"Would you be terribly opposed to the idea of hypnosis?" Byakuya asked tentatively. Experience had taught him to approach this subject as gently as possible for patients often reacted violently to it. Ulquiorra however agreed without an objection.

Ulquiorra lay on the couch as Byakuya dimmed the lights in the room. He walked over to his desk and pulled out the pendulum. He slowly started to swing the pendulum in front of Ulquiorra's eyes asking him to concentrate on it. He went under very quickly, offering very little resistance.

"What do you see, Ulquiorra?"

"Myself." He replied, "I am at a park."

"What are you doing in the park?"

"I don't know. I don't know how I came here or why I am here or what is it that I am doing. I don't know anything. There is no network here either. What am I doing here? Where am I?" Ulquiorra sounded distressed.

"Let's move forward, tell me what do you see?"

"I am surrounded by cats. Pantera is there too. Why is Pantera here? What is he doing here?"

Once again Byakuya noticed that the experience was troubling his patient.

"Let's move back a few days, tell me what do you see?"

After a brief silence, Ulquiorra replied shakily "I am in my flat. I am upset about the package Loly has sent to me. It had flowers from a graveyard. I want to be left alone. I have closed the door to my room. But I am not alone. Someone is here, inside the room. It's so cold. It smells. She smells. She is here."

"Who's there? Who smells?" Byakuya asked, interested.

But Ulquiorra suddenly went quiet, motionless. Earlier he had been fidgeting slightly, but now he had a strange, eerie stillness about him. The stillness disturbed Byakuya for some reason. To him it seemed unnatural. Then slowly, Ulquiorra's face broke into a grin- a small, scary and somewhat demented grin.

"Hey," He said in a completely different voice. It was unlike the usual low and stoic voice of Ulquiorra. It was strangely cheerful, "Poking around in his head won't yield any results."

"Who are you?" Byakuya asked with a frown.

"I am the answer to all his questions."

"I take it you are not Ulquiorra."

Lying on the couch, his eyes closed, Ulquiorra cackled in a maniacal way, "Hell no. Do I sound like Ulquiorra?"

"What's your name?"

"What's in a name, Doc?" He replied, still laughing, "The important thing is I am the reason he is here. I am the one who's toying with him."

"Why are you toying with him?" Byakuya was making notes furiously, his professional interest piqued.

"Just for the heck of it." He replied with a shrug, "Oh you should have seen him, completely out of sorts. He thinks he's in complete control, but" he laughed and continued, "you should have seen him last night when I came to him. All he didn't do was wet his pants."

"You came to him last night?"

"Didn't I just say so?"

"Why? What do you want from him?"

Ulquiorra sighed, "Not telling you. I come to him when I need to."

"So I assume you are here for a reason?"

"Oh absolutely, I came here to tell you something." Ulquiorra grinned.

"And what would that be?"

"If you love your life, stay away from Ulquiorra. Next time, I will kill you." He replied in a cold whisper.

Byakuya was stunned. He had heard death threats from his patients before but none of them had ever been quite serious but now he had no doubts that this time the threat was completely serious. The next time he would be in real danger. He decided to wake Ulquiorra up.

Fifteen minutes later, Byakuya found himself staring at Ulquiorra's green eyes.

"Did you get any results?" Ulquiorra asked

"Yes, quite remarkable results actually. I believe you have, what is called, Dissociative Identity Disorder otherwise known as Multiple Personality Disorder."

Ulquiorra frowned. That diagnosis made sense, but only to a certain degree. It still did not explain why he saw the apparition.

"Wouldn't Schizophrenia be a better fit?" Ulquiorra asked. "I mean I have had some really weird hallucinations."

"I was thinking the same thing, but during your hypnosis, I met someone. Someone who claimed to have the answers to all your questions."

"What was this…person like?"

"Sadistic, demented and really dangerous I would say." Byakuya said resting his elbows on the table, "What was funny was the voice. It was unlike anything I have ever heard."

"Why? What was it like?" Ulquiorra asked, somehow already knowing the answer.

"It sounded, for the lack of a better term, papery."


	14. Nasty Surprises

So I have reached 100+ reviews. As promised, here is the shout out to all my reviewers as a special thanks for making my highly unconventional Ulquihime a success. I was very skeptical putting this plot line up because it is not the usual Ulquihime but you all have accepted this with open arms and I am touched. Special thanks to:

Ulquishinee, Nypsy, Gorguts5, Ranipaki, Cerice Belle, Lilarin (where are you girl, long time no see), Back Diamond07, Consuming Endless Nightmare, Yun0630, Safuruu, Porcelain Snow, Fox-and-Cranberry-Muffin42, Crazy4music, Snow flake falling from the sky, reyla schiffer, BleachmyNaruto, Zeiya007, BeccaRomano, HarpSeal, frawg360, Rin Sessys girl, Szerion, Ceelia18, Jules Mordecai, RyumaOmega, SasuSakuIsLovely, Kurikara, ChibiUlquiorra, TheCatWiththeHat.

Also thanks to all the people who put alerts and favorites.

Hugs to my awesome Beta, Cerice Belle. As usual, R&R.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

**Nasty Surprises**

Grimmjow Jagerjaquez sat in a booth of the bar Nnotra worked in, listening to his roommate sing. Hearing him sing always calmed his nerves down and his nerves had been taut off late for many reasons. He had finally made up his mind to confess his feelings to Tatsuki, the only problem was, knowing her, she was just as likely to punch him on the nose as she was to hug him and accept his proposal. And that woman knew how to pack a mean punch! He was also more than a little worried about his cat Pantera. The brown tabby had been behaving strangely. He hadn't touched his food in a while and yet seemed to be completely healthy, which led Grimmjow to think that he was getting food from somewhere else. The thought didn't please him one bit. If his cat was stealing or was being fed by someone else, he had to know. He'd asked his roommates about his food and none of them knew anything. If that wasn't all, there were other subtle changes in him as well. The cat had taken to being absent for long periods of time. It now rarely came up to Grimmjow for a pat or cuddle. The other day when Ichigo had tried to cuddle it, Pantera had slunk away almost immediately. More than once, Grimmjow had found Pantera hiding under Ulquiorra's bed. A couple of times, when he had pulled him from there, he had found the cat with a dead mouse. He remembered Ulquiorra requesting him to keep the cat away because it'd been giving him 'offerings' of sorts. Worried about his pet, he had taken Pantera to a vet. The vet examined the cat and said it was perfectly fine. The doctor couldn't find any reason for the cat's weird behavior.

If Pantera had been behaving weirdly, Ulquiorra had been behaving worse. He seemed to be lost in a world of his own. Given his reaction, the three of them had agreed they wouldn't bring the girl up until he did. So last night, they had been careful not to mention her at all. That worked fine because Ulquiorra didn't lose his cool but he didn't say a word either. Grimmjow had tried a couple of times to include him in the conversation but to no avail. He hadn't spoken a word in the entire time he had been there. He just sat there, unmoving, his eyes completely void of any emotions. It was as if a life size doll sat in place of their roommate. Grimmjow frowned, gulped down the remaining scotch and looked at his watch. Tatsuki should be arriving soon.

As if summoned by her name, the petite black haired girl walked over to him. She was wearing the cutest little black dress that he had ever seen on her. It was sleeveless; the front of the dress had ruffles on both sides that met in the middle, hugging her figure in all the right places. It ended just above her knees. She had coupled it with a pair of peep-toed black stilettoes, a black clutch and silver hoops.

_Fuck, did she have to look so cute? It makes things all the more difficult._ Grimmjow thought ruefully as he stood up to greet her.

"Hey, how are you?" She asked with a bright smile.

"I am good, you?" He said, feeling nervous.

"Not very good." She grimaced.

"Why?" He asked as they settled down in the booth.

"What are you drinking?"

"Uh, Jack Daniels."

"Hmmm, I'll have one as well." She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Long day, huh?" He enquired.

"Oh you have no idea! First, I had a crappy day at work. Then, if that wasn't enough, Loly calls me up to whine about what a bastard Ulquiorra is and blah blah blah. Like honestly, get over it girl! I know he dumped her but she had it coming. She was so cloyingly sweet around him it annoyed ME, I have no idea how Ulquiorra put up with her."

"Beats me." Grimmjow said with a shrug, "But she shouldn't be the one whining. After that package she sent him, he's the one who should be pissed."

"Oh, that was the primary reason she called me in the first place. Apparently she didn't send the package."

"What? That's bullshit."

Tatsuki shrugged her slender shoulders, "Anyway, all in all I am thankful you called me for a drink, I was really looking forward to talking to someone sane."

Grimmjow grinned, "My pleasure."

Someone came by to refill Grimmjow's drink and take Tatsuki's order. A couple of scotches, some small talk and a plate of Calamari later he had finally worked up enough courage to tell what he wanted to tell her.

"Tatsuki," he said clearing his throat, "I needed to talk to you about something."

"What?" she said popping a piece of calamari in her mouth, her eyes fixed on the stage on which Nnoitra was singing, one of her fingers absently beating a rhythm on the table.

"You know we have known each other for a while now."

"Yes…" she looked at him with questioning eyes.

"I need…I mean I want…no what I am saying is this…I think…I wa.."

"Oh for God's sake!" She said exasperated, "When will you work up the courage to ask me out? It's been two years Jagerjaquez, how much longer am I supposed to wait?"

He gaped at her open mouthed. She shook her head and let out an exaggerated sigh. She got up from her seat and went next to Grimmjow who scooted to the side almost as if he was on auto-pilot. She snaked an arm around him and said,

"Your shell shocked expression is priceless. I wish I had a camera with me right now."

He grinned, returned her hug and placed a small kiss on her head. From the stage, Nnoitra winked, grinning widely.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra's eyes were fixed on the digital display of the elevator that declared the floor number in bright red numerals, his mind and body exhausted from the abuse that they had been subjected to off late. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator to the plush lobby of Byakuya's office building, his phone rang. It was his grandfather. Frowning slightly he briefly debated with himself if he wanted to take the call or not. He sat down on the sofa in the lobby. Finally with a tired sigh he answered,<p>

"Grandpa."

"Ulquiorra, you sound tired son, are you alright?"

"Yes. Fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You sound different somehow. What's going on?"

"Nothing." Ulquiorra realized that normally he would have asked what made him think he was sounding different but now, somehow he really didn't care. All he wanted was to be left alone.

"Monosyllables aren't the best things for a conversation. Mr Noburu called me to say that you were having some problems. Tell me what is going on?"

"Nothing, Grandpa. I am fine." He replied in a flat emotionless voice.

"Why did Noburu call me then?" The old man sounded a little irritated.

"I don't know."

"It seems to me that you are avoiding the issue here."

Ulquiorra sighed; he had no energy in him to have a conversation with his Grandfather. "Grandpa," he replied, "I can assure you, there is no reason to be worried. I do not know why Mr Noburu called you but please do not be worried. There is no reason for you to be worried."

"I am not convinced Ulquiorra." His grandfather said tersely.

"I do not know what I can possibly say to convince you otherwise." Ulquiorra replied flatly.

After a brief silence his grandfather said "I do not know what gave you the idea that you can get away with talking to me in that tone young man. You will.."

"Grandpa," Ulquiorra interrupted, "can we have this conversation later? I really cannot talk right now. I will call you later. Bye."

Without waiting for a reply Ulquiorra shut his phone. He rested his throbbing head in his palms and put his elbows on his knees in an effort to give his brain some relaxation. He knew that the next time he spoke to his grandfather, he was going to get an earful from him but he was beyond caring at this point. He was in a complete mess and desperately wanted to get out of it. Byakuya was the only one with whom he could talk to without any reservations simply because Byakuya wouldn't make judgments, he would give a diagnosis and possibly a solution. Everyone else would only fess over him and that was the last thing he wanted. He didn't need pity or sympathy, what he needed were answers and Byakuya had already given him a diagnosis that made some sense.

Dissociative Identity disorder or DID, a form of psychosis in which the patient displays multiple distinct identities known as alter-egos or parts. So if Byakuya was correct, he had at least one alter-ego who was sadistic, demented and possibly dangerous. He could see how it was entirely possible for him to have slipped into his alternate personality and drive down to that park or send himself those flowers. That made sense. He could also attribute the cats, the weird maps in the park and the apparition to hallucination that may or may not have been a direct result of DID. He unwillingly admitted that maybe Orihime too was a part of the hallucinations- that certainly explained why she seemed to know him so well. If his mind had conjured her up then it explained why she appeared to know so much about him. Although he hated himself for it, he realized that everything depended on the next day. He found himself wishing fervently that his friends could see her when she came to their flat tomorrow to have coffee.

But one thing still remained unexplained, Pantera. What was the deal with the cat? He told himself that all that the cat had done was give him a few dead mice, which was normal cat behavior – had had looked it up on the Internet. His tired and sick brain must have given the cat a sinister edge. Everything else that he had associated with Pantera was a projection of his own sickness. He felt a small stab of guilt over his own cruelty earlier that day and decided to buy some cat treats on his way home. With his thoughts collected and his mind at peace, Ulquiorra got up from the sofa and walked over to the parking lot. He would pick up his medicines and the cat treats, reach home and take a good long nap. He had informed Noburu earlier that he would not be coming to the bookstore that day.

The peace however was very short lived. As he walked towards his car in the parking lot, he sensed something was off. With a hammering heart he reached his car and recoiled in shock. All the four tires had been viciously slashed. Had he done that himself? He didn't think so. He checked his watch, 1:10pm. He had left his home at around 9:30 am. He remembered the time clearly. He had reached the parking lot at about 10:15am which was the usual time that it took from his house to Byakuya's office. He remembered the time because he had checked his watch as soon as he got out of the car and had checked into Byakuya's office sharp at 10:17am. He clearly remembered sitting at the reception for fifteen minutes before Byakuya called him in. He had been with the psychiatrist for a two hour session that had dragged just a tad bit longer and now he was staring at his slashed tires. All in all, it stood to reason that his alter-ego couldn't possibly have done it. There just wasn't enough time. It was done by someone else. Other than his own crazy alter-ego, he could think of only one more person who could do something like that- Loly. He fished out his phone from his pocket and was about to make the first of the many calls that he was supposed to make when something in the back seat of the car caught his eye. Upon looking closely he realized it was a package. Frowning he pulled out his car key, opened the door and picked it up. It was identical the previous package he had received. This too was a shoebox that was wrapped in blue gift wrap and a small card attached to it. The card read,

ULQUIORRA SCHIFFER, SHOWING MY LOVE FOR YOU.

Knowing that it was probably a bad idea he opened the box and immediately dropped it. Inside was a pale, black haired, green eyed doll that was wearing clothes similar to him. Only it's head and limbs were twisted grotesquely and it's clothes were soaked in red ink.


	15. The Visit

****Apologies for the delayed update. Life caught up with me. In the previous chapter Lilarin raised a very valid question about this fiction and I am going to put it here in case the same things bother any other reader. Her concern was that Ulquiorra and Orihime maybe perceived as OOC in some cases. I happen to agree with the observation and therefore I felt that I need to elaborate on why I have portrayed them the way I have.

In what's probably the strictest sense of the word, Ulquiorra and Orihime are indeed OOC. Especially Orihime. That said, one would have to consider the plot line too. I cannot possibly have a ditzy crazy and innocent Orihime- She just wouldn't fit here. As for Ulquiorra, I am trying to visualize how he would react when scared and confused. Unfortunately I do not have any instance in the manga/anime to base it upon and so I take a normal human's reaction to fear and try to put it in him. As I see it, he is most likely to clam up, refusing to acknowledge that he needs help. And when he does go for help, he'll go to someone he thinks can help, not someone he deems to be 'trash'.

Thanks to **Lilarin** for bringing this to my notice. I would also recommend you all to take a peek at her wonderful Ulquihime fanfic **'Down with the Sun.'** This fic brought my semi lost mojo back :)

Special thanks as usual to my Beta **Cerice Belle.** Do take a look at her work, she's superb.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

**The Visit**

Uryuu stole a glance at his friend sitting in the passenger seat next to him and felt a strange chill run down his spine that left him very unsettled. He had a bad feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. Sometime ago, he had received a call from Ulquiorra stating that he needed a ride home. On arriving at the address specified by Ulquiorra, Uryuu was baffled. Ulquiorra stood talking to two cops, a couple of others were standing around his car and there was a tow truck that waited nearby. But more than anything, it was Ulquiorra's face that had shocked Uryuu. He hadn't seen his friend in a while but he wasn't prepared for the drastic change in his appearance. Ulquiorra had always been pale but now his face had a grayish, sickly pallor to it. The dark circles under his eyes enunciated how hollow they looked. They were dark green pools of nothingness, as if something deep inside him had died. His friend had always been more or less expressionless but his eyes had always conveyed volumes. However now there was nothing, just an empty shell.

"Ulquiorra," Uryuu spoke hesitatingly, his eyes fixed on the road. This new avatar of his friend disturbed him more than he was willing to admit, "What were you doing with the Police?"

"My tires were slashed and my car was broken into." Ulquiorra replied without looking at Uryuu.

"Damn! That's bad. What did the Police say?"

"Not much as of now but they will look into it. The name of Schiffer guarantees that."

Uryuu nodded, knowing exactly how much of a help his name of Ishida was to him "You suspect anyone."

"Not particularly."

"Not even Loly?" Uryuu asked sounding a little surprised.

"No." Ulquiorra's voice made it clear that the conversation was over and Uryuu knew how to take a hint.

They drove in complete silence for the next twenty minutes before Uryuu's curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Ulquiorra, normally I would not ask this, but what is going on? You look…horrible. Seeing you at Byakuya's office building wasn't reassuring either."

Finally Ulquiorra looked at him and Uryuu inadvertently screamed causing the tires of his car to screech loudly as the car swung out of Uryuu's control. Ulquiorra leaned over quickly and straightened it.

"Watch out." Ulquiorra said a little firmly.

Uryuu pulled over to the side, panting. "What was that?" he asked after a while.

"What was what?"

"Something was wrong. You turned and…it wasn't your face I saw."

The black-haired bespectacled man was shivering in his seat. Having known terror first hand, Ulquiorra recognized it in his friend but he didn't have it in him to feel any empathy.

"What did you see?" He asked flatly.

"I don't know. I…I must have imagined it. I…I saw several things. I saw…"

"What?"

"I don't know." Uryuu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said, "Look, let's just forget this alright. I won't ask you about what's going on, you don't ask me what I saw. I have a feeling neither of us can quite explain things at the moment."

Ulquiorra nodded. Uryuu sighed, put his car in gear and drove on. They were once again completely silent all the way till Ulquiorra's flat.

As Ulquiorra was getting out of the car, Uryuu said, "Ulquiorra, please take care. Something tells me that times are going to be very rough."

Ulquiorra nodded, "Thanks for the ride Uryuu."

The other man nodded, waved and drove away.

* * *

><p>Orihime's arrival was eagerly anticipated. Not just by Ulquiorra but by his roommates as well. Tatsuki and Rukia too were curious, having been filled in by Grimmjow and Ichigo respectively. Ulquiorra spent the day locked up in his room, refusing to even acknowledge anyone. The only time he showed any sort of reaction was when the Police called his cell for a few more details. As soon as he disconnected the call from the police, he dialed Loly's number.<p>

"Loly, Ulquiorra."

"I was expecting your call."

"Speak." He said flatly.

"You know what I did, otherwise you wouldn't have called." She replied with a chuckle.

"You should know that I have got the Police involved. I could still ignore the slashed tires but the package that you left in the backseat? I couldn't ignore that."

"What package? What packages do you keep talking about? I told you once before, I'll say it again, I have not left any packages for you. It's not my style."

"For some reason I am not inclined to believe you anymore." He said his voice absolutely calm.

"Believe what you will, asshole. I am done trying to explain myself to you. When I saw your car, there was no package in the backseat, front seat or anywhere for that matter. How many people have you pissed off in your pathetic little life, dipshit?"

Without waiting for the outburst that he sensed coming, Ulquiorra disconnected the call and switched his cell off. He had a nagging suspicion that Loly wasn't the one who had sent him the package and his instincts were right. He figured it had to be his evil alter-ego, although how he managed to put the contents together and then put it in his car without Ulquiorra losing any time, he had no idea. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind a whirl of thoughts. Sometime in the day he had looked up DID on the Internet and realized that he did exhibit some of the symptoms, although not all of them. Wikipedia listed the following as symptoms:

_Multiple mannerisms, attitudes and beliefs which are not similar to each other_

_Unexplainable headaches and other body pains_

_Distortion or loss of subjective time ( a long time)_

_Depersonalization_

_Derealization_

_Severe memory loss_

_Depression_

_Flashbacks of abuse/trauma_

_Sudden anger without a justified cause_

_Frequent panic/anxiety attacks_

_Unexplainable phobias_

The symptoms that he did exhibit were inexplicable headaches, loss of time and panic attacks. He was unsure about depression. He knew that he was behaving differently and that he had been feeling strangely apathetic, calm and emotionless off late, but if that was a direct result of depression, he wasn't sure. As for the rest of the symptoms, he was yet to exhibit them, but Byakuya had mentioned the presence of an alter ego and for Ulquiorra, that sealed the deal. He decided that he would look up more about DID in the books.

He lay almost motionless on his bed till it was time for Orihime's arrival. At quarter to five, he got up, changed his shirt and ran a hand through his hair in a futile effort to give them some semblance of order. When he stepped out of his room, he found Pantera sitting in front of his room. For the first time, Ulquiorra noticed that the cat was looking a little sick. He briefly wondered if it was because he had thrown it against the wall, but quickly dismissed the idea. The brief pang of guilt that he had felt in Byakuya's office was long gone, replaced by the now familiar apathy. It didn't matter to him if the cat was sick, he couldn't waste his time thinking about such trivial matters. Ignoring the cat that followed him with its golden eyes, he walked out of the apartment, barely noticing the five people sitting in the living room.

Grimmjow's blue eyes followed his roommate's exit followed by his cat, which was walking with its tail high up in the air.

"Is something bothering you?" Rukia asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, well" Grimmjow began, scratching his chin, "there is something going on with Pantera. He seems to be attached to Ulquiorra more than ever before. Not that I mind, but the attachment doesn't seem normal. His health is deteriorating."

"Whose?" Nnoitra asked with a frown, "Ulquiorra or Pantera?"

"Both, actually. Weird as it may sound; I think that the reason for their deteriorating health and strange behavior is connected."

"You do realize how absurd that sounds?" Tatsuki asked with her eyebrows raised.

"I know it sounds absurd," Grimmjow admitted, "but I am seeing a pattern, so humor me for a bit will you all? Remember the time Pantera freaked out seeing Ulquiorra?"

Ichigo pushed his chair to its hind legs as he leaned backward and nodded.

"I noticed a slight change in Pantera's behavior after that. Since then he hasn't been having the food I give him. Last night I was thinking and I realized, Ulquiorra too has been displaying strange behavior since that day. Too much of a co-incidence, don't you think?"

"No I don't." Ichigo said firmly, "I clearly remember Ulquiorra regularly popping pills for his headache much before that, so your brilliant theory is basically BS."

Grimmjow kicked the leg of Ichigo's chair causing him to fall on the floor and let out a string of abuses at his blue-haired roommate who responded by showing him the finger.

Outside his apartment, Ulquiorra stood leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets. He looked at Pantera who curled up near his leg, meowing slightly. Sighing noiselessly, Ulquiorra closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall, waiting for Orihime to arrive. Sometime later, a low purr from Pantera caught his attention. Opening his eyes he saw the ginger haired girl walk towards them with a smile. The cat shot up from near his leg and rushed over to her, purring delightfully. She bent down to pat the animal.

This simple gesture from the cat and the girl sent a surge of relief through his tired mind and body. Orihime wasn't a figment of his imagination. Pantera was seeing her, which meant that the others would be able to see her, which also meant that Nnoitra was wrong.

"Hello." Orihime said smiling brightly. "Cute cat, what's its name?"

"Hi. Pantera, he's my roommate's. Thanks for coming."

"Oh! The pleasure is all mine. How are you? You don't look too well."

"I have been having a bit of a problem with my health."

"Oh! Should I come by later then? May be you should rest a bit?" She sounded concerned.

"No. I have had my rest, don't worry." He asserted. "How have you been?"

"Bright and shiny, as usual." She replied with a smile that matched her statement.

Inadvertently the corners of his mouth twisted upward in a small smile, "Come in."

"In a minute. I just wanted to ask you one thing, have you made up your mind about reality yet?"

"No." He replied, remembering what followed the last time they had this conversation. "Please, if you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Sure." She chimed, "Let's go then."

The trio walked towards the apartment, with Pantera leading the way and Orihime at the end. As soon as they entered, the cat ran, jumped on to Grimmjow's lap and settled itself comfortably. Ulquiorra walked in and stepped aside for Orihime to follow, who hesitated only briefly before following him in.

"Hi everyone, this is Orihime." Ulquiorra waved a hand towards where she stood "Orihime, that's Ichigo, Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Tatsuki and Rukia."

Each of his friends was looking at him with identical expressions of horror, mixed with pity and curiosity. Orihime however had a small smile playing on her lips. A sudden chill ran down Ulquiorra's spine as he looked from his friends' faces to hers and back again.

"Guys, what's wrong?" He asked with increasing trepidation.

The five of them exchanged glances before Rukia spoke up haltingly,

"Ul..Ulquiorra…There is no one beside you."

He took a step backward and said "No. That can't be possible. I can see her, she's standing right here. Pantera can see her, Pantera?"

The cat had fallen asleep on Grimmjow's lap and therefore remained unresponsive.

"Fuck dude, what's going on with you?" Nnoitra said, his face a mixture of anger and worry.

Ulquiorra's mind refused to acknowledge Rukia's words, "Ichigo, can you not see her? She's RIGHT HERE."

"Ulquiorra," Ichigo whispered, his voice laced with pity, "there's no one."

Finally he turned to Orihime who still stood there with the strange smile on her face, "What's going on?"

She turned to him with a crooked smile and said, "What is reality, I wonder?"


	16. A decision

Beta'd by **Cerice Belle.**

****Please read and review.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

**A decision**

Thick black clouds loomed heavy on the morning skies with sheets of thunder less lightning illuminating the horizon every now and then giving silent warnings of a massive storm brewing. Ulquiorra's mood mimicked the weather outside; a storm was raging deep within him although it was belied by his outward calm. His expressionless face and calm body language was in sharp contrast with what was going on inside his mind. After he had realized that no one, except him and Pantera, could see Orihime all rational thoughts had fled his mind. His natural defense mechanism kicked in. He calmly spun on his heels and marched out of the apartment wordlessly. Ichigo and Grimmjow had tried to follow him but he dismissed them bluntly saying that he needed some time alone, although not quite in those words. Both his roommates honored his wishes, albeit with a lot of reluctance, especially on Ichigo's part. Ulquiorra walked and walked till he was no longer aware of anything but a nagging pain in his legs. He had finally hailed a cab and returned home completely exhausted. He found all of his roommates sitting in the living room, apparently waiting for him. A small part of him recognized that he needed to talk but a bigger part of him had had enough. He couldn't sit and talk about it, he simply couldn't. It was something he just wouldn't be able to handle anymore. Therefore he ignored his roommates and walked into the kitchen. Unfortunately Nnoitra couldn't wait any more and followed him.

"We need to fucking talk." The man said almost towering over him.

"I have nothing to say to you, Nnoitra." Ulquiorra replied.

"What the fuck do you mean you have nothing to say? Something is seriously wrong and we want to fucking help." Nnoitra screamed.

"And how exactly do you propose to go about that?" In contrast, Ulquiorra's voice was absolutely calm.

The taller man didn't have an answer to his question.

"Since you clearly have no idea what you want to do, I suggest you go and cool down. Good night."

Without waiting for an answer from his roommate, Ulquiorra walked into his room, lay down on the bed and promptly fell asleep. When the morning came, he had achieved a detached clarity about his situation. He knew that his illness was more exacerbated than he or Byakuya had imagined. Orihime didn't fit into DID. Byakuya needed to know about it. And therefore that morning he sat in Byakuya's office, waiting for his turn. The longer he waited, the more his mood worsened. The depersonalization that he had experienced in the early morning was gone by the mid-morning, replaced by a dark anger.

Anger at the hopeless situation he was in. Anger at watching his life spiral completely out of control and not being able to do anything about it. Anger at every unanswered question that was haunting him. Anger at constantly feeling tired. But most of all, he was angry at himself for being so helpless. Finally the attendant called out his name and summoned him inside

Byakuya sat behind his desk with a small frown on his face. He motioned Ulquiorra to lie down on the couch as he took his position on the chair next to him. He waited for his patient to talk. Taking a deep breath, Ulquiorra began. He told Byakuya about how he met Orihime, the conversations that they had, Nnoitra's claim of not being able to see her, his subsequent invitation to Orihime for a cup of coffee and finally the entirety of her visit.

"So, other than you and this cat, no one could see her?" Byakuya asked.

"That's correct."

"Let's leave the cat out of the picture for a moment, shall we? Th.."

"But why? Why should we ignore the fact that Pantera can see her?" Ulquiorra interrupted.

"Because it's an animal," Byakuya replied patiently, "we can never say for sure what it saw. Based on what you said, about your friends' reaction, I would say, she's a part of your hallucinations."

"What?" Ulquiorra whispered.

"It's not uncommon Ulquiorra, patients with psychosis often have these kind of complaints."

Wordlessly Ulquiorra got up from the couch, collected his jacket and started moving towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Byakuya asked.

"I am done here." Ulquiorra replied flatly.

"Done?"

"Yes. You cannot help me anymore." Ulquiorra looked straight into Byakuya's slate grey eyes.

"Ulquiorra," Byakuya stood up from his chair, "do not make such a hasty decision. These treatments work slowly. You need to trust me that…"

"Trust!" Ulquiorra snorted derisively, "You cannot trust someone who thinks you are psychotic."

He turned around and walked out of Byakuya's office, leaving the psychiatrist staring after him in shock.

As he was leaving Byakuya's office, he got a call from the garage informing him that his tires and locks had been changed. He thanked them; let them know that he was on his way and that he would pick the car up shortly. Outside he hailed a cab, gave the address to the driver and sat back with his eyes closed.

'_I am not entirely sure who it is, but she is not good for you. I sense some bad times ahead of you'_

'_I sense a very powerful presence around you, possibly malevolent. She'll be the ruin of you.'_

'_Things are going out of control, aren't they?'_

'_I am the only one who can help you right now.'_

'_She is not going to stay away from you'_

Once again, Yoruichi's words came back to haunt him. This time however, he couldn't dismiss them outright. They had an uncanny accuracy about them which was unnerving him. Years of cynicism battled against his weakening will as he debated with himself whether or not he should pay Yoruichi a visit and listen to what she had to say. He was partly annoyed with himself for even entertaining the thought, but a part of him argued that there was no harm in just hearing her out. Maybe, just maybe she could give him an answer. At some level he understood that this meant that he had reached the height of his desperation.

Shortly the cab stopped in front of the garage. Ulquiorra paid the driver, settled the bills with the garage and walked over to his car. As he backed his car, his eyes fell on the board that declared the street's name and he realized he was only a couple of intersections away from Urahara's house. On an impulse, he turned his car and drove in the opposite direction before he could change his mind.

Standing in front of Urahara's house Ulquiorra couldn't help but feel extremely self-conscious. He hesitated slightly before ringing the doorbell. The sound of footsteps that came from the other side of the door were extremely weird and he wondered if he had the right house. Before he could turn around, however the door opened and a beaming Urahara stood there in the most bizarre outfit Ulquiorra had ever seen. He wore green shirt and pants with a black coat that had a diamond shaped pattern running along the bottom half. A white and dark green striped bucket hat and a pair of wooden sandals. In his hand he also carried a fan for some unfathomable reason.

"Ulquiorra! What a pleasant surprise!" The man said over-enthusiastically, "Come in come in my boy."

With an effort, Ulquiorra refrained from cringing at the overly sweet tone and the use of the term 'my boy'. Keeping a neutral face, he walked in, hoping that he wasn't making the stupidest mistake of his life. Urahara, chattering non-stop about something, guided Ulquiorra to a small non-descript room that was furnished with a round table and six chairs.

"So," Urahara said as the two of them settled on two chairs, "what brings you here?"

"Well," he started, unsure of what to say, "I…I wanted to…talk to Yoruichi."

Urahara snapped his fan open and brought it to his face, hiding most of it except his eyes and said, "Had a sudden change of heart, did we?"

"Let's just say I have run into some problems and I think she may be able to give me some answers."

The other man studied him for a while and then said, "Even though she is going to talk about the presence of the Supernatural realm?"

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"Very well then, please be seated, I'll call her."

Ulquiorra sat in the small room telling himself that now that he was here, he might as well see it through. Thankfully he didn't have to wait for long. Yoruichi soon walked in smiling widely.

"Just the man I have always wanted to meet." She said her tone slightly flirtatious.

"Yoruichi, I know I haven't wanted to listen to you in the past…" he started.

"Oh! No need for apologizing. I don't want handsome young men to apologize to me."

"I wasn't apologizing." He replied flatly.

"Oh, and here I thought…"

"Can I get to the point without you interrupting me?" Ulquiorra said his voice thick with irritation.

"Please." She said with a wave of her hand.

He sighed, "You know something. Can you tell me what do you know?"

"I can." She replied, finally in a serious tone, "But before that you need to show your trust to me. Tell me everything and then I'll give you my interpretation."

Steeling himself, Ulquiorra told her everything. Starting from the headaches and weird dreams and ending it with Orihime's visit. Throughout the conversation, Yoruichi didn't say a word, just nodded at appropriate places.

"So," Ulquiorra asked her, "you too think that I have lost it?"

"On the contrary, I think you have landed yourself in some serious mess and that you should have come to me earlier."

He was taken aback, "You don't think that I am psychotic."

"Ulquiorra, you are strange. Very strange. But psychotic, no. I am not sure I can explain everything straight away, but I have a few ideas about what is happening to you."

At his nod, she continued, "Let's address your problems one by one. That cat, what's its name again, Pantera, right? Yes Pantera. The cat has been able to see Orihime and that apparition that haunts you, right?"

Ulquiorra nodded.

"Cats are more tuned to the spiritual world than us. Therefore I am not surprised that he can see both of them."

"So you don't think that Orihime is a figment of my imagination?"

"Absolutely not!" She said decisively, "If she were a figment of your imagination, would the cat have seen it? No. The cat reacted to her, which means she exists. Just not in the plane in which anyone and everyone can see her."

"So why do you think I can see her?"

She shrugged her elegant shoulders, "Who knows. As far as I can tell, you have no special powers that enable you to see or interact with supernatural entities. Therefore I can only think that she desires to be seen by you."

"That makes no sense." He said with a frown.

"Not to you and me. Not until we know what she wants."

"Alright, so Pantera can see her and that thing…because he's a cat and cats can sense these things. I can see Orihime, because she wants me to see her. What about that apparition? What's that?"

"I sense a malevolent presence around you. I am assuming that apparition is the presence I am sensing."

"And Orihime? If she's not a figment of my imagination but a supernatural entity, shouldn't you be sensing her as well?"

"Unfortunately the malevolent entity is so strong, if there are any other entities, I cannot sense them."

"What about the packages? Who's sending them?"

"Aah I don't think I can answer that, not yet. For all you know, those packages may have nothing to do with the rest of the things that are happening to you. We will have to address your problems step by step. As of now, the course of action I would suggest is that you go home; take a sleeping pill and go to sleep. Your body needs some rest. I will try and make contact with this entity I sense. I will give you a call tomorrow morning. I should have made a contact with it by then. Till I call you, do not, I repeat, do _not_ talk to Orihime if you see her."

"But she has never harmed me." Ulquiorra insisted.

"Ulquiorra, you have hardly ever dealt with the supernatural. She hasn't harmed you yet doesn't mean she will not harm you. If you see her, turn your head the other way. Avoid her. Go away. It's for your own safety."

He sighed, "My every rational thought is telling me to ignore your words and that what you just said is a load of trash. However, I am going to trust you, against my better judgment. I hope by tomorrow morning, you will be able to give me some kind of an answer."

"I will try to." Yoruichi said calmly.


	17. Fateful Encounter

Wooooot! A double post! This chapter may upset some of my more sensitive readers but it was a needed twist in the tale. Please read and review.

Thanks to the people who marked my story as favorite or set an alert.

Beta'd by the ever awesome **Cerice Belle.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

**Fateful encounter**

Yoruichi was putting the final touches to the room before she could contact the malevolent spirit that was haunting Ulquiorra. As she lit the candles, she couldn't stop a sardonic smile that came to her face every time she prepared this ritual. The films portrayed the psychics drawing pentagrams, lighting many candles, taking a planchette and a crystal orb and mumbling some mumbo-jubmo out of a book. The reality however couldn't be more different. All she needed was a refreshing shower, about 3-4 candles, a freshly cleaned and dark room. She could do without the candles but she wasn't comfortable talking to especially malevolent entities in complete darkness. There was no telling what they were capable of. Finally, with the preparations complete, she stepped out of the room.

"Kisuke, I am going to try and help Ulqiuorra," She said.

"Take care. Be safe." He replied, leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips. It was a small ritual the two of them followed every time she tried to establish contact with a supernatural entity. It seemed like a good luck charm to both of them. He then led her to the room by her hand, she stepped inside and he closed the door behind her. After which he picked up his keys and walked out of their house. Yoruichi had always made it absolutely clear that when she was doing something like this, she needed to be absolutely alone. Not only because it helped her concentrate but also because she didn't want to be worried about Kisuke's safety. She sat on the floor, cross-legged, closed her eyes and concentrated on Ulquiorra. Shortly, she could sense the presence that enveloped him like a cloak of darkness. She concentrated on it and called it out. Soon enough she felt the familiar tugging in her, which meant that the entity had sensed that it was being called. Whether or not it answered, depended on the entity entirely. In Yoruichi's experience, most couldn't resist answering. Curiosity, the need to be heard and the desire to show off their powers were the top three reasons why a psychic's call was answered. She had a feeling this one would come for curiosity and sure enough, it came to her. The silhouette was that of a woman, but Yoruichi knew that didn't mean anything. It could just be an illusion to throw her off. In her mind, she always referred to entities with a neutral gender 'It'.

"Why did you call me?" It asked her in the papery whisper that Ulquiorra had described to her in great detail.

"I think you know." Yoruichi answered calmly.

"You want to know what I want from Ulquiorra."

"You are right."

"What makes you think I will tell you anything?"

Yoruichi smiled, "Because you want to gloat and Byakuya wasn't the right person, was he? He didn't ask the right questions when you told him you were the answer to Ulquiorra's questions."

It stayed silent for a while and said, "You are more intelligent that I thought initially."

"Thank you. So won't you tell me?"

It paused for a while and then replied, "You are smart. You should know what I told the Doc."

"You told him many things. Some I understand, some I don't. I know you threatened him if he tried to help Ulquiorra. But what I don't understand is why you pretended to be a part of Ulquiorra."

"I did no such thing." It answered levelly, "All I 'pretended' to be is cocky. The Doc put his own theories to suit himself."

Yoruichi was surprised at how chatty it was being; she decided to push her luck a little further.

"So what is it that you want from Ulquiorra?"

"Guess." It replied.

She looked at it expressionlessly for a while and then smiled, "I don't have a good guess yet. But I do have another question for you. Who or what is Orihime?"

At this the apparition actually cackled loud enough to make her eardrums throb, "Finally someone asked a _real_ question. Who or what is Orihime? Very good, psychic, very good. However, it doesn't mean that I am going to answer it."

Yoruichi tried a new tactic, "So my hunch was right, you do know Orihime."

"Of course I do. Didn't I already say, I am the answer to all of Ulquiorra's questions?"

"Then you know about the packages too?" She leaned forward, interested.

"Yes I do." It replied flatly.

"Tell me."

"I think not."

"At least tell me, are the packages even connected to this whole mess?"

"Psychic, everything is connected. You just have to connect the dots."

"Even Ulquiorra showing up in that park?" She asked, unable to believe that the apparition had been giving her so many replies.

"Go find a dictionary psychic. I think you don't understand what 'everything' means."

"What will it take for you to leave Ulquiorra?"

The apparition was silent for some time before replying in cold and eerie voice, "I have told you enough. More than you need to know, in fact."

For the first time, Yoruichi felt an involuntary shiver run through her. She felt a slight prickling of fear, knowing that she could be in danger.

She blinked a couple of times, reined in her momentary nervousness and said in a level voice, "I am guessing you don't want to answer any further questions, so why don't you leave? We will talk again later."

"I think not." Its voice kept getting more and more papery.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see." It started cackling yet again.

* * *

><p>Kisuke Urahara had been with Yoruichi for fourteen long years. If he had learned something in that time, it was that one's intuition was never to be ignored. His intuition was telling him something was seriously wrong. He had originally intended to go to the bookstore for a while but something made him stop. He made a quick decision. He would quickly check on her, assure himself that she's fine and leave. He knew she didn't want him to be near her during her 'sessions' but he decided that he could make an exception. Fourteen years of relationship gave him that right. He quickly turned his bike and drove back at top speed.<p>

He parked it right outside their house and raced up the staircase. Reaching their door, he yanked out the keys from his pocket and hastily opened it. As soon as he stepped inside, he knew something was seriously wrong. The house was quiet- too quiet. He could also sense a faint, lingering stench of something.

"Yoruichi?" He called out softly.

No reply.

"Yoruichi, you there?"

Silence.

A sliver of panic started making its way into his heart as he slowly started to make his way towards the room where she conducted her sessions. As he neared the room, his heart started beating at an erratic rhythm and he felt his throat go dry. He reached the room and softly knocked on the door.

"Yoruichi?"

No answer.

The stench of rotten meat was stronger here causing him to scrunch his face in disgust. But, mixed with the disgusting smell was another more coppery smell that was vaguely familiar. Unsure of what the two distinct smells meant, he knocked the door again only to be met with more silence. Throwing caution to the wind, he yanked at the door's handle to find that it was locked from the inside. Scared, he started to throw his weight against the door repeatedly. It was starting to really hurt his shoulder, but he continued undaunted. Soon enough, the lock gave way and he half stumbled into the room. It was completely dark and too quiet for his liking. The two smells also lingered heavy in the air. His imagination started painting horrible pictures as he blindly groped for the light switch and flicked it on. As the light permeated into the room, he let out a shriek. What was in front of his eyes was much more horrible than what his imagination could ever present to him.

There, in front of his eyes, drowned in her own blood, lay the badly broken and mutilated body of the love of his life.


	18. Aftermath

Special thanks to my Beta **Cerice Belle. **

**I have a very important announcement to make. S****tarting mid-December /early- January, I will be going on an indefinite hiatus due to certain unavoidable circumstances. I will finish 'I see you' before I go. However, 'Trust to Hope' will not be completed. Updates, if any, will be sporadic for some time. But I will finish 'Trust to Hope', I just cannot tell when. Thanks for understanding.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

**Aftermath**

When Ulquiorra woke up next morning, he was a little groggy but otherwise he felt better than he had in a long time. He yawned and got off his bed, trying to remember why he had been feeling better last night. It was then that he remembered Yoruichi. It was on her suggestion, that he took a mild dosage of sleeping pill and had slept peacefully through the night. She had promised that she would call him this morning and he was sure she would. He picked up his phone from the side table and frowned. There were twelve missed calls from Urahara. Worried he dialed back immediately. Urahara picked up immediately.

"Ulquiorra," he said without a preamble, "Are you alright?"

"I am fine Urahara. Sorry, I had taken a sleeping pill last night and did not hear the phone."

"Don't worry about that. Can you come here now?" The older man cut in.

"Now? Sure. I'll be there in half an hour. Urahara, is everything ok?"

"Just come here as soon as you can, my boy. As soon as you can." The man disconnected the call before he could say anything else.

Ulquiorra found the man's behavior strange - stranger than his usual behavior and that worried him. He quickly freshened up and started to leave when his eyes fell on Pantera. The cat was lying curled up on a chair. He noticed for the first time that tufts of hair were missing from the feline's body. Frowning Ulquiorra walked near the cat which sensed him coming and lifted his head.

The two stared at each other for a while before the cat let out a tired meow, settled its head on its paws and fell asleep again. Ulquiorra wondered if the cat's connection with the supernatural entities were finally getting to it and then sighed. He had to go to Urahara, Pantera could wait. He still wasn't sure how he felt about the cat. On one hand he hated the cat for the part it had played in messing up his life, but on the other hand he also had developed a soft spot for it when he had thrown it against the wall and when it had been the only other being that could see Orihime. Shrugging, he walked out of his apartment and headed to his car, thankful that his roommates seemed to be avoiding him.

As he neared Urahara's house, he started feeling more and more anxious. He could see quite a few Police cars and something else that did not ease his nerves- yellow tapes that had zoned off the house declaring in disturbing black letters 'CRIME SCENE- KEEP OUT'.

"Crime scene?" Ulquiorra muttered, "What the…?"

He parked his car someway off and started walking. As he reached closer, an officer blocked his way.

"Sorry Sir, you cannot go any further. This place is off limits."

"Wh …what happened here?" He stammered.

"Are you friend or family of the deceased?" The officer asked curtly.

"Deceased? What? Who? Urahara called me. He asked me to come here. What do you mean deceased?"

"Yoruichi Shihoin, did you know her?"

Ulqiorra blinked, his brain refusing to believe what the officer was saying, "Yes, I know her."

"Last evening, she was found dead by her boyfriend Kisuke Urahara." The officer explained, "You said Urahara called you?"

Ulquiorra stepped back, suddenly feeling breathless. His head reeled and his knees felt weak. "Wh-wha-how?"

Before the officer could reply, Urahara spotted Ulquiorra and came running to him.

"Ulquiorra!" Urahara said, looking like he'd been through hell. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot. There were deep shadows under his eyes and his lips looked cracked.

"Urahara!" Ulquiorra said shocked by the appearance of the man, "What is going on?"

"She…She's gone Ulquiorra, she's gone." The older man broke down in tears, unable to continue standing.

Ulquiorra held him before he hit the ground and led him slowly inside. He sat the man down on a chair, looked around and found no place for himself to sit, so squatted down next to him. In a low voice he asked,

"Urahara, what happened?"

The man hiccupped a couple of times before saying, "I came back before I was supposed to."

Ulquiorra wasn't sure what he meant, but let the man continue.

"She was contacting that thing, you know. But when I came back, she was gone. Killed brutally." He burst into tears yet again.

For the second time all breath whooshed out of Ulquiorra's lungs as finally he understood the truth behind Yoruichi's death. An immense weight crushed his mind as he came to one very unsettling conclusion:

_She died because she tried to help me._

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Ulquiorra was sitting in Byakuya's office, visibly shaken. If he had looked haggard earlier, now he looked positively horrible. His face had lost whatever little color it had. He had large sweat stains all over him, his hair in a complete disarray and his eyes had a wild desperation in them.<p>

"I don't get it," Byakuya was saying, "You want me to institutionalize you? Are you serious?"

"Yes. Preferably in isolation."

"Ulquiorra, you have to understand, only extremely violent and dangerous patients are treated that way. You are not even in the condition that merits institutionalization, let alone isolation."

Sighing Ulquiorra said, "Please? If you want, I am willing to beg for it. I may be harmless by myself, but people around me are in real danger."

"I don't know what you mean." Byakuya insisted, "You have to tell me in greater detail."

"I cannot. If I could, I would have. I would like nothing more than to unburden myself at the moment, but trust me, I cannot do it. It can lead to disastrous results that I am keen to avoid."

"What are you hiding Ulquiorra? I am talking to you not as a psychiatrist but as a friend. You know you can tell me."

"Byakuya," Ulquiorra said shakily, "I am talking as a friend as well, I cannot tell you. For your own safety, I cannot."

"Why not?"

"Because you could die!" he finally cracked! "Someone's already died because of me. I cannot let anyone else die. Please, Byakuya, listen to me. Lock me away. Please."

"Died, who died?" Byakuya asked, shocked.

"Yourichi Shihoin. You don't know her. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that she has been murdered, brutally. I do not what to repeat that. Please, help me?"

"But the way you are right now, if I lock you away you will lose your mind completely."

"I DON'T CARE!" He screamed, then in a much lower voice he continued, "What happens to me is no longer important. All that matters now is that no one else meets with her fate and you are the only one who can ensure that."

"No Ulquiorra, I cannot do it. You are distraught right now and that is to be expected. You have been dealing with some tough times and now with death of your friend, you are breaking down. I don't blame you, but locking you away because of that, it's against my professional and personal ethics. I am sorry, I cannot do it. If you want, I can write some medications, that will help you with your anxiety, but I cannot do anything more than that, sorry."

Ulquiorra whispered slowly, "What do I have to do to make you listen to me?"

"Nothing you do will convince me otherwise Ulquiorra, quit trying." He stood up from his chair next to the couch and walked over to his desk. He typed something on his computer, looked at his patient and said, "The conversation is over. I have prescribed some anti-anxiety drugs for you. Pick up the prescription from my assistant on your way out."

The lost and desperate look was gone from his eyes and they went back to being hollow pools of green as he stood up from his couch. Wordlessly he picked up his jacket and strode out of the psychiatrist's office.


	19. One Week

The penultimate chapter. This chapter was especially difficult for me to write, not because of any block but because I started feeling bad for what I did to Ulquiorra in this chapter (I hadn't really felt bad for him till now). This chapter may disturb some of you. Chapter 20 and Epilogue will be published together. I am currently working on them. I have reached 150+ reviews for this story, hence a shout out to my lovely reviewers. I cannot thank you all enough for loving this story and making it a success. Given its plot line, I had expected to be flamed a lot but instead you all have accepted it with open arms and consequently I am overwhelmed. Warm thanks to:

**Ulquishinee, Nypsy, gorguts5, ranipaki, Cerice Belle, Lilarin, BlackDiamond07, Consuming Endless Nightmare, Yun0630, Safuruu, crazy4music, Fox and Cranberry muffin, porcelainsnow, Snow Flake Falling From the Sky, reyla schiffer, BleachmyNaruto, zeiya007, Becca Romano, HarpSeal, frawg360, Rin Sessys girl, Szerion, Ceelia18, Jules Mordecai, RyumaOmega, Sasusakuislovely, Kurikara, ChibiUlquiorra, TheCatWithTheHat, Soleilyhime, Icefrosty, Apherion, flyingloveletters, Waca, suikarin, Sundaebunny.**

Special thanks to **nypsy** for the 150th review.

Hugs to my lovely and wonderful Beta, **Cerice Belle.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

**One Week**

Day 1:

Ulquiorra never slept in the night. Every time he closed his eyes, horrible images of Yoruichi's mutilated body showed up. Last evening, on an impulse, he had resigned from Noburu's bookshop. He had a feeling that unless the absolute chaos of his life had been reigned in, he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his work at all. Mr. Noburu thankfully had been very understanding and he graciously accepted Ulquiorra's resignation. He lay on his bed, pretending to be asleep, till he was certain that all his roommates had left. Once Grimmjow too left the house, he slowly got up from the bed; his head throbbing like someone was playing the grand orchestra in it. It took him a while to focus his vision and blink out the lights dancing in front of him. Once his vision adjusted, he found Pantera lying at his foot. Sensing movement, the cat opened his eyes and looked at him. Once again, Ulquiorra thought he could sense intelligence behind those eyes.

"You really know what is on, don't you?" Ulquiorra croaked, surprised at how dry his own voice sounded.

Pantera let out a low meow and closed its eyes, ignoring Ulquiorra. Sighing he got off the bed, deciding to spend the day all by himself, in a quiet solitude that he hadn't really gotten till then. The entity haunting him was willing to kill, he wished that it would kill him and put an end to whatever twisted game that it was playing. Yoruichi's death had sort of taken off his will to live. He knew death was an eventuality. No one lived forever. If this was going to be the end of him then so be it. He was tired. He wanted it over and done with. Sighing softly he walked over to the kitchen, took a glass of water and took a huge gulp from it. However, as soon as he had gulped it, he spat it out. The water had the same fetid smell of the papery-voiced entity.

"You are overthinking Ulquiorra, this cannot be happening." he told himself.

He brought the glass close to his nose, inhaled it and the same smell assailed his olfactory senses. Gagging he threw the water down the drain. He went to the fridge and took out the orange juice- same result. When even the fruits and the bread had the same smell, he realized that his mind was indeed at its breaking point.

Day 2:

Ulquiorra sat huddled on his bed, having spent a second sleepless night in a row. However, yesterday had been sleepless for a different reason. His throat was parched, his stomach grumbled but he couldn't drink a drop of water or have a morsel of food. All the time he had smelled that revolting smell that caused him to retch. Now, overcome with hunger, he walked over to the fridge, desperate to eat something, _anything_. He found two eggs and figured that if he fried them, chances of them having the smell were very slim to none. So he brought out a pan, greased it and fried the eggs easy over. The smell wafting from the frying eggs made him salivate and his stomach growled in appreciation. He took a plate and spooned the eggs on to it carefully. He sprinkled some fresh ground pepper, cut a piece with a spoon and ate it. Instantly his stomach churned and he had to puke it out. It tasted like meat gone bad. He retched and retched till there was nothing left in his stomach to throw up. He sat on the floor of the bathroom and rested his forehead against the cool tiles refusing to let the tears come out.

He had no idea how long he sat like that before he sensed a movement next to him. Raising his head he saw Pantera slowly walk over next to him. The cat looked as bad as he felt, with greater tufts of its hair missing. As Ulquiorra watched, the cat started to make strange choking sounds and shaking its body. Soon it coughed up some blood.

"You and me both Pantera, you and me both."

Pantera mewed in a low voice and curled up next to him, shivering slightly. Ulquiorra made a mental note to tell Grimmjow to take the cat to a vet. That was the last thing he remembered from that day.

Day 3:

The throbbing in his head hadn't gone down at all. If anything, hunger and thirst had increased it to a maddening level. Ichigo had found him lying unconscious on the bathroom floor last evening and called his father for help. Isshin had determined that Ulquiorra's blood pressure had dropped drastically and that he was severely lacking in irons and vitamins. He prescribed some medications which Ichigo had left on his bed table. When Ulquiorra woke up, he found a note next to his medicines telling him about last evening and instructing him to have his medicines. Ulquiorra licked his dry lips and smiled slightly. To have the medicines, he needed to be able to drink something which, in his current condition, was impossible.

He swallowed his own saliva to ease the dryness of his throat. He decided that he would have to go out. The entity wasn't going to let him eat anything as long as he was inside the house. So on unsteady legs he picked up his car keys and walked over to his car. It occurred to him that in his current health, it was very likely that he would crash his car somewhere. He wasn't surprised to find that he actually welcomed the idea. He had no idea how he reached a restaurant or what he ordered. The smell of food that surrounded him heightened his desperation. Not soon enough the waiter brought his order in front of him, a freshly made, huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Hoping against hope that this time he might be able to make it, he twirled some spaghetti into his fork and brought it close.

It did not take a millisecond for the nausea to come back. Retching and gaging, Ulquiorra had to rush out of the restaurant before throwing up on the pavement. His stomach had nothing to throw up and therefore it threw up blood.

"_So is this how you plan to kill me, you asshole?_" He screamed, only his voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

In reply, he heard a high, cold, papery cackle.

Day 4: 

Getting out of the bed was now a chore. He shivered uncontrollably as extreme fatigue took over his body, wreaking havoc on it.

"Ulquiorra," Ichigo's voice sounded very distant, "You look…I don't know if I have a word in my vocabulary to describe how bad you look. What is going on, please tell us."

Slowly opening his eyes, he realized all his roommates were around him, each wearing an identical look of worry on their face. With immense effort, he sat up.

"Guys," he croaked, "If I could explain all this to you, I would. I can't." He didn't continue for it hurt his throat to talk.

"Look dude," Grimmjow said, "It's past the time for stubbornness. Tell us what is happening. We will take you to the best doctors, we will get you treated. We cannot just stand by and watch you fade away like this."

Ulquiorra smiled slightly, "There is not much any doctor can do. I am beyond help now."

"The fuck! So you are giving up? Just like that?" Nnoitra asked incredulously.

"Yes I am." There was finality to his voice that closed all the arguments. "Grimmjow, take Pantera to a vet. He is sick."

Saying so Ulquiorra lay back on his bed and closed his eyes.

Sometime during the day he felt someone holding his head up and trying to feed him some water. It was however useless. He choked and gagged, throwing up whatever water had been forced down his throat.

It was night when he opened his eyes again, hunger and thirst becoming a permanent part of him. Weakly he stood up and walked out to the living room to find some chocolates kept on the table. He opened one bar tentatively and brought it to his nose, it had no smell. He bit off a small end of the bar and tasted it. It tasted like a chocolate bar was supposed to taste. Ecstatic, he put the whole chocolate bar into his mouth, only to spit it out. The putrid smell and rotten taste was back. Ulquiorra held the saliva coated chocolate bar in his hand and stared at it, a couple of tears escaping his eyes.

Day 5:

Day five saw Ulquiorra lying on the bed in a semi-comatose state. On the periphery of his vision he could see the apparition, but he was no longer scared of it.

"You haven't defeated me, not yet." He said, or he thought he did. "I am still surviving. What more can you do? Do what you can asshole, go on!"

"Ulquiorra?" A hand fell on his shoulder, shaking him lightly, "Ulquiorra?"

Blinking he got his eyes into focus. It was Nnoitra. The apparition was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you talking about?" Nnoitra asked his voice surprisingly mild, his words uncharacteristically devoid of any expletives.

"You all think I am dying, don't you?" He asked slowly with a smile on his face.

"Ulquiorra, please say something, don't just smile like that." Strangely Nnoitra's face had morphed into Uryuu's.

"Uryuu? When did you come here?" He questioned with a frown.

"Ulquiorra, I cannot understand a word of what you are saying." now it was Mr Noburu who was looking at him.

"What is going on?" He asked with a frown.

Suddenly Mr Noburu was gone and in his place was the apparition whispering his name in its papery voice.

Day 6:

Someone was very upset. Something had happened. What had happened? Where was he? Oh it was Grimmjow. He seemed to be saying something to him, but what? What language was he talking in? He said something about a cat and death. What cat? What death? Did he mean his cat? He had a cat? Oh yes, he had a cat. What was his name? Pantra … no, Pantera. Why would anyone name his cat Pantera? It was a derivative of a Panther, wasn't it? And Panthers were dangerous. If he ever owned a cat, he would never call it Pantera. So what happened to Pantera? Grimmjow was saying something about death. Did that mean Pantera was dead? Who was Pantera again? Where was he? Why was his throat burning? Water, he needed water. But he couldn't have it. Why couldn't he have it? The lights in front of his eyes were diminishing. Aah, blessed oblivion!

Day 7:

The fever he had developed day before yesterday had gone down a bit and his thought process was a little more coherent than it had been yesterday. He gathered that some medication had made its way into his system. Since his throat still felt like he had swallowed sand, he figured someone had to have injected medication into him, which was why he was feeling marginally better. However he couldn't get up from the bed.

"Ichigo." He called out in a low voice. In an instant his orange haired roommate was next to him.

"Is Pantera dead?" He asked. For reasons he couldn't remember at that point, Pantera was sort of important for him.

"Yes, Ulquiorra. Pantera died yesterday. You take rest, we are all here." Ichigo replied in a low voice, the kind one uses around extremely sick people.

As Ichigo left the room, Ulquiorra realized that someone else was also in the room. Slowly, very slowly he turned his head. His eyes fell on a shadow that had the silhouette of a woman. With a papery voice, it took his name. A part of him knew that this thing was to be feared, but he had no idea why. Slowly the shadow started to take a firmer shape. It solidified into the shape of a woman. A voluptuous, orange haired, grey eyed woman.


	20. Reality

**Author's note: **Now you all know who the malevolent spirit is. The 'why' is answered in this chapter.

Normal font is Orihime's POV, italics is third person perspective of her life. Masahiro Watanabe is my OC

Special thanks to my Beta Cerice Belle whom I bugged to no end XD. Hugs to you girl, you rock!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

**Reality**

What is reality? Is it what your eyes see? What your ears hear? What your heart feels? Or is it something more? How far do you trust your senses? Do you trust them enough to provide you with the truth every time? At what point do you start asking yourself "What is reality"?

* * *

><p><em>Orihime skipped down her staircase with a wildly beating heart and a huge smile on her face because she couldn't wait to meet him. He was the man who had swept her off her feet - Masahiro Watanabe, the sole heir of Watanabe Entertainment, a successful production house. Tall, lean yet muscular, long wavy jet black hair that fell down to his shoulders and warm chocolaty brown eyes; he set her heart beating wildly with just a smile. They had been dating for about seven months now. She had heard rumors of him being a playboy. She had heard whispers behind her back about how she was his latest toy, but she had refused to believe in them. They couldn't possibly be true. He was such a gem of a person, her Masahiro. So what if he sometimes didn't attend her calls for days together and never gave her a satisfactory enough explanation for his absence? So what if in those days the anxiety would make her almost claw out her own hair? When he came back, he would always make love to her; show her how much she meant for him. Masahiro could always take away all her worries with just a soft, smooth smile.<em>

* * *

><p>When I saw Ulquiorra, I instantly knew, Masahiro was back, yet again. How many times do I have to do this before he understands? I have already defeated him seven times but he simply bounces back. He just keeps coming back for more, every time using a different name. Doesn't he realize how much more powerful I am now? I can do so many things. I can hypnotize him, compel him, possess him, and do what I want to do with him. All I have to do is confuse him and voila, he loses his cool, each time! Each of those seven times, he has either killed himself or died of starvation or gone mad, but Masahiro just doesn't learn, does he? He just keeps coming back for more. This time I saw him in the guise of Ulquiorra, going around with his new bitch, Loly. Hypnotizing him into believing that he's seeing strange dreams has always been the easiest part. The difficult part comes when I have to make him see me. I am always scared, what if he recognizes me? Then what will I do? But he didn't recognize me the past seven times; he most certainly did not recognize me when he saw me this time either. But he was coming to meet me, crossing the street and I could not have him do that, could I? I have to think quick, put him to sleep. Eye contact was all that I needed and he knew that he needed to fall asleep. In the deepest, most dreamless sleep he has ever known. Everyone around thought he had passed out and had taken him to the hospital as well. I woke him up at the hospital just so that everyone would finally stop making a scene about it. I followed him to his house but that damn cat saw me. He spat and mewed and made such a racket, it almost ruined my plan. But I'd be damned if I let a mere cat stop me from getting back at Masahiro. Making that cat my slave was as easy as snapping my fingers, all I had to do is make it look into my eyes. Cats aren't very intelligent animals; they can't stand up to me for long. Soon enough it broke and then, all I told it to do was give dead offerings to Masahiro. Only the cat didn't know who Masahiro was! Of course, stupid critter! He knew Masahiro by the name of Ulquiorra, but then so be it. That was all the cat had to do. I would handle the rest.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Orihime was certain, Masahiro would be thrilled when he learned the surprise she had for him. She would have told him earlier, but he hadn't been talking to her. Yet again, he was late. The part of her that always doubted him came back to her, asking her, nagging her. Was she deliberately not seeing what the reality was? Was she creating a myth for herself to avoid seeing what was obvious? Was Masahiro simply using her as a tool to satisfy himself? Was her body all that he ever wanted? She shuddered, how could she think such evil thoughts about the one she loved so dearly? She could not possibly claim to love someone if she thought such thoughts about the very person?<em>

* * *

><p>That damn psychic! She was ruining everything! The cat had been very easy to control but the psychic was going to make things difficult for me. Thankfully Masahiro did not believe a word of what she said but it was time I intervened. I had to show myself to him yet again. He didn't recognize me last time; he won't recognize me this time either. But he was using the name of Ulquiorra Schiffer this time, so I would have to play his game, use the name Ulquiorra Schiffer. Tch! Men never learn. He even wondered if we would meet again, like I was going to let him go anywhere. Didn't I expressly tell him in his dreams that I wouldn't let him go this easily? But it seemed like I would have to show him exactly how long I planned to be with him, show him where I wanted him to be. It took me some time to think who I could use to get that message across and finally it came to me - that skank Loly. She did promise him hell, so why not use her a bit and show what hell actually means? I made her send those beautiful and yet slightly wilted flowers from that graveyard. Of course she remembers nothing, but that's what's so wonderful about hypnotizing the unsuspecting, they come to senses thinking that they just woke up from a deep sleep. But Masahiro never connected the flowers to me. He connected them with Loly. When would he realize what he had done to me? When would he realize that I meant to kill him, again and again? Every time he comes in front of me, I will kill him. He had to see what he had done to me. I used to look so beautiful, now I look so ugly. So far all I have presented to Masahiro was how I used to look. He believes that's my true form. Now the time had come to show him what he had done to me, how revolting I look now and how disgusting I smell. He saw me. He smelled me. He heard me and then he screamed. Damn! He had to be given another reminder.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Masahiro, I need to talk to you about something." Orihime said excitedly as she sat in his car.<em>

_He smiled his lazy smile and looked at her, "What is it doll?"_

_She wondered how she could possibly have doubted this wonderful man. He was so caring. She smiled sweetly and said "Masahiro, I am pregnant."_

_He blinked once and smiled and said, "That's good news Orihime."_

_She was ecstatic._

"_So whose kid is it?" He asked her casually._

"_What?" She asked, stunned. "What do you mean? You are the one I love, it is your kid. Don't joke about things like this."_

_He nodded, smiled at her and stayed silent for the rest of the way. He drove on and on, far away from Karakura. Orihime wondered what was going on in his mind. He hadn't reacted the way she had expected him to react but then she never understood his reactions at all. He had driven quietly for a long while before stopping his car at a lonely looking parking lot. He reached around the car and took Orihime's hand before she had even gotten out. She smiled; this was her Masahiro, her beloved, the father of her child. He gently kissed her hand and tugged it, indicating that she should follow him. He had brought her to a park where there was no one, just a pond, few benches and a long stretch of road. They walked on and on for a long while. She asked him several times where they were going, but he didn't reply. Finally, after about 2 miles, he stopped and made her sit on a bench and stood in front of her. _

"_Orihime," He said with that dazzling smile, "You'll have to abort that child."_

* * *

><p>After he spoke with that psychiatrist, I took over Masahiro's body and took him to that very park, that very bench but the damn man still wouldn't remember! Wasn't he carrying this charade of being Ulquiorra a little too far? I was angry, so very angry. I decided that I would scare him a bit, which should jolt him to his senses. I made him see things that didn't exist. Oh it was fun to see him freak out at cats that he thought were there, or trying to figure out where his car is. While I had my momentary enjoyment at torturing him, my anger at Masahiro was anything but abated. I wanted to see if this time I had really managed to make him fall in love with me, like I had loved him oh so long ago. So I decided to meet him at his house. The idiot didn't suspect a thing when I walked up to him casually. However, something I had not planned for happened and that made me feel better, much better. His tall, weird looking roommate came home at around the same time. Of course he couldn't see me; I had no intention of letting him see me. However, I did not stick around to see what results my little experiment had yielded. I will come to know about it soon enough. I visited him briefly, in my true form, near the bookstore. He couldn't even bear the smell of me. I wondered what he would do when he saw me. I decided I would show him both my forms in the very same day. Plus, I had to find out the result of my little experiment. So there I stood at the corner of the street, all dressed up in my prettiest form. Sure enough, he came. My little experiment was a huge success because he was wondering why his friend couldn't see me. I asked him my favorite question "What is reality?" He wanted me to meet with his friends. I agreed gleefully. That night I visited him yet again, in my true form. The cat saw me as soon as I came and started to follow me. I decided to just ignore that critter for now, but it was beginning to outlive its usefulness. Masahiro had to see what I had become. He tried and tried to escape, but he couldn't. Or rather, wouldn't. Simply because I would not allow him to. His roommates were in a sleep that I had induced on them, they would never wake up unless I wanted them to. But then he started to call someone. I couldn't allow that to happen but stopping the phone call would be beyond my powers so all I could do is make him think that the call didn't go through and hope that the person on the other end wouldn't pick the call up.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Masahiro!" She said, aghast. "You want me to kill our baby?"<em>

"_Orihime, you cannot have this thing now." He said with finality._

"_Masahiro, you cannot possibly want me to commit murder!"_

"_Murder? That thing is just a couple of cells Orihime. You won't feel a thing. Just get rid of it. I don't want the scandals associated with it. I will cover the costs." _

_Rage like she had never felt before filled her. She stood up to face him and slapped him hard across the face._

"_You bastard! I knew it. I knew you just wanted sex but somehow I managed to convince myself that you wanted a life with me. I ignored all those whispers, those voices, those looks. They all told me that you were an asshole but I still stayed true to you. Loved you. But you? You are nothing but a piece of shit. You have seen my love. Now you will see what I can do with hate. I swear I am going to destroy you, you …"_

_He struck her before she could finish the sentence, causing her to fall on the ground. She brushed her mouth and looked at the blood in her hand coming from her split lips. _

"_You bitch! You think I will let you and that bastard of a spawn of yours interfere with my plans? I will …" _

_Orihime had stood up and punched him in his solar plexus winding him._

"_You are not going to get anywhere near my baby, you jackass." She screamed, "As for your reputation and plans, see if I do not botch the whole thing."_

_Saying so, she started to walk out of the park. However, that proved to be a mistake. Masahiro picked up a heavy stone that lay as a decoration next to the bench and brought it down on her head. The last thing she remembered seeing was him holding the rock, panting and looking at her with hate filled eyes._

* * *

><p>The friend didn't pick up the call. He didn't last much longer after that. Passed out when I came near him. I had to wake up his bulky blue-haired roommate and compel him to get Masahiro to his room, clean the blood from his phone and straighten the mess that that he had created in trying to escape from me. That night I also made some preparations for the next package for him. I made Loly prepare a package for Masahiro, Ulquiorra to her. She had been following him for a while. Once the package was prepared, all I had to do was ensure she had it with her the next day. Just as I expected, next morning he went to the psychiatrist for help. I did not like that. Who did I have for help when I needed it? Why should the rules be any different for Masahiro? The psychiatrist had to know that interfering in my plans is unwise. Not that I perceived him as a threat, he would be useless. If he had gone to the psychic…that would have really botched my plans up. However, since he chose the psychiatrist so a mere warning should suffice. I deliberately pretended to be jolly and happy, I thought the psychiatrist would immediately notice the difference if I did so and my hunch proved correct. While Masahiro was busy collecting medication and paying the bills, I was busy preparing his next nasty surprise. I knew that his last skank Loly was on her way, I just ensured that she laid the package on the backseat of the car. I was extremely pleased when I saw that she added a touch of her own by slashing his tires. Masahiro then called his friend to take him home. I hated this friend of his. I didn't want him near me and so I showed him a glimpse of my true form.<p>

* * *

><p><em>She wasn't breathing! She had no pulse! She was dead! That was not what he had intended. He had simply wanted to teach the bitch a lesson. He hadn't expected her to die. What was he supposed to do now? Scared and nervous, he dragged the body to the pond. Using all his strength, he pushed her body into it. Shaking, he then walked out of the park, relieved that he had brought her to this park where people hardly ever visited. There were no witnesses. He could get away with it – probably.<em>

* * *

><p>My visit to him turned out to be a bigger success than I imagined. Not only did it open ways for me to get rid of the bothersome cat, it also enabled Masahiro a.k.a. Ulquiorra to legitimately ask the question "What is reality?" The cat had stupidly approached me. Having outlived its usefulness I started lifting my influence off the cat, knowing full well that it would kill the animal. I do not like swift messy jobs, so I started lifting it slowly so that Masahiro would see the cat die slowly in front of his eyes. But more importantly, when I questioned him about reality, I could sense that something inside him broke. He simply walked away, leaving me standing. Not that it mattered to me in the slightest. I left the house too. Without Masahiro, the house had no charm or appeal for me. Things were going wonderfully well for me. But then, when has Masahiro wanted my life to be normal? Never. So, in typical Masahiro fashion, he went to the one person who could ruin everything for me. He went to the psychic. I did not dare to follow him there but that woman still sensed me. She called me. I was so angry. This woman could be a real problem and I had made up my mind that I will destroy her before she could destroy me. It was simple - eat or be eaten, I chose to eat.<p>

* * *

><p><em><span>10 days later<span>_

_An article in the local newspaper, Karakura daily:_

_July 26__th__ 1997:_

_The body of Orihime Inoue, 22, resident of Karakura town, who was reported missing by her boyfriend five days ago, was found at a park excess of 150 miles from her house. The body was located by a couple of early morning joggers who smelled a rotten, fetid smell coming from a certain direction. As soon as they noticed the body floating in the pond, they alerted the authorities. The body was beyond identification due to the local marine life that had eaten away majority of the flesh. Inoue was identified by the blue hibiscus hairclip that she always wore. Autopsy reports suggest that she was at least seven weeks pregnant and that the cause of her death was a blunt force trauma to the head. Investigation of her death is underway, suicide hasn't been ruled out._

* * *

><p>My anger had not abated with the psychic's death. I was going to kill Masahiro, torture him in ways he couldn't think of. I took away his subsistence from him. He hated my smell, retched every time he smelled me, so I would give him exactly that, my smell. I smelled this way because of him and he would pay. As I watched, he started to fade away. The cat died and he was on the verge of death. His roommates however were not willing to let go of him. I couldn't let that happen. I had to do something.<p>

* * *

><p><em>An article in the local newspaper, Karakura daily:<em>

_November 12__th__ 1997:_

_Masahiro Watanabe, 24, was found last night hanging from the ceiling of his room. Watanabe was the sole heir of the media giant, Watanabe Entertainment. His girlfriend, Orihime Inoue, was found dead earlier this year. Friends and family testify that Watanabe had started to lose his mental stability soon afterward. Authorities suspect a suicide._

* * *

><p>An article in the local newspaper, Karakura daily:<p>

April 15th 2011:

Ulquiorra Schiffer, 24, was found dead late last evening by his roommate Ichigo Kurosaki. Schiffer, the sole heir of the restaurant chain, Schiffer's, had been battling with mental illness for a while and his health had been deteriorating steadily. Autopsy reports suggest an overdose of prescription drugs. Authorities do not suspect foul play and suggest it is a suicide.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **There is an epilogue, don't forget!


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

1 year later

The rain was beating down in a slow and steady rhythm, making it tough to see the road. Uryuu cursed heavily as he switched his car's headlight to a high beam to better make out the road. Had it not been the first anniversary of his friend Ulquiorra's death, he would have stayed at home in this weather. The death has come as a shock to every one of them. Although truth be told, it wasn't entirely unexpected. The poor guy had become completely unhinged and had started seeing and hearing things. From what he had heard, Ulquiorra had started talking about some woman. Soon after that, his health had started deteriorating rapidly. However, no one who knew him had expected him to commit suicide. He just didn't seem to be the kind of man who'd do something like that.

Uryuu breathed heavily and concentrated on the road. Thinking about Ulquiorra was like picking at old wound. All it did was bring a lot of pain and nothing good came out of it. As he drove along, his eyes fell on someone standing by the road showing the universal sign of hitchhikers - a hooked thumb. Inadvertently Uryuu braked. As he lowered his window pane, a girl came into view. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

"Hello," she said in a voice that reminded him of wind chimes, "I was wondering if you could give me a lift? I would normally walk but this weather …"

Before he knew, Uryuu found himself saying, "Don't worry about it. Just hop in."

"Oh thank you so much for your kindness." The girl said as she settled into the passenger seat, "I am sorry I'm getting your seat all wet and ruining it."

"Oh that's absolutely fine. No big deal, really. So where do you want to go?"

She gave an address to him, as she wiped off the water from her face and hands. As he drove, Uryuu felt an urge to know more about this girl sitting next him. He didn't know what love felt like but he guessed that it would feel very similar to what he felt at that moment. Steeling himself he ventured forth.

"By the way," he said as casually as he could, "my name is Uryuu Ishida. Yours?"

She smiled sweetly and said, "Orihime Inoue."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Please don't kill me!

**Edit**: Some reviews made me realize that many people did not understand why exactly is Orihime killing guys, so I feel I should clarify. No, Ulquiorra wasn't the reincarnation of Masahiro, he couldn't be. Masahiro died in 1997, Ulquiorra was 24 in 2011 so he cannot be Masahiro's reincarnation. Neither of the previous 7 guys were Masahro nor is Ulquiorra nor is Uryuu. Orihime is a psychotic spirit craving revenge. In her demented mind anyone who has even a vague physical resemblance to Masahiro becomes Masahiro. She's unable to realize that those 7, Ulquiorra and Uryuu were completely innocent. Hope that clears out some of the confusion.

With this I end this story. I have loved every moment of penning this unconventional story. I thank you all, especially my beta **Cerice Belle**, for being with me and supporting me through the massive challenge that I had set for myself. I cannot express my gratitude in words.

Now, with this story completed, I will start on my hiatus. When I come back, I will resume 'Trust to Hope' and a new Ulquihime called 'Angels and Demons', which will be a supernatural romantic comedy.

Hope to see you all sooner than later, till then, adios amigos!


End file.
